Morning Cereal

Start your day with inspirational quotes, followed by a fun journey through nostalgic facts from this day in history. Then, we dive into Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 
In Part 2, Habit 3, we’ll explore Covey’s timeless advice on building authentic connections, the art of influence, and creating positive interactions in every area of life.
In This Episode:
  • Daily inspirational quotes to spark your motivation
  • Fun historical facts from this day in history
  • A dive into Part 2, Habit 3 of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
Whether you're a leader, communicator, or just someone looking to improve your relationships, this episode is packed with actionable insights.
Tune in now and let’s grow together!
Resources:
Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. Free Press. 
 
All photo’s utilized in this video are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported by Wikimedia Commons license and are free to copy, distribute and transmit.  No photos have been altered.

What is Morning Cereal?

Good morning, and welcome to Morning Cereal!
Pull up a stool, grab your favorite cereal, and let’s kick-start your day with a spoonful of inspiration, nostalgia and personal growth. Join your host, Shaen Inglis, as he highlights the music, movies, and moments that made the 80s, 90s, and 2000s unforgettable—kind of like digging for toy at the bottom of the cereal box. Each episode, Shaen also reviews a chapter or so from top wellness books, offering practical insights to help you set a positive tone for your day. Start your mornings right—no cartoons required!

Follow and subscribe to the Morning Cereal podcast and visit our Life Happens, Live Balanced channel and our website at shaeninglis.com to check out and follow our other podcasts. You can also follow Shaen @ShaenInglis on Instagram, YouTube, etc. Feel free to share the Morning Cereal with someone who could use a little fun and motivation to start their day right.

Good morning and

welcome to Morning Serial.

Okay good morning and welcome to Friday.

Nicely done, you've made it.

Well you can tell we're still shooting

here on location at the

University of Oregon for

the Nike Outdoor National Tracking at

this beautiful Hayward Field.

And if you're watching on YouTube you can

see right behind me right now.

And if you're watching or listening to

this at home while

maybe slipping on a pair of

flip flops with a vanilla milkshake in

one hand and your dog

trying to hitch a ride to

your office, well then you my friend are

fully embracing June 20th.

Because today is National Flip Flop Day.

Take your dog to a work day, no need to

be jealous of those cat

people anymore from last

week and finally it's

National Vanilla Milkshake Day.

And I love me a good vanilla milkshake.

But is it okay if I slip a little

chocolate syrup into that shake?

Now I know my youngest son would prefer

to have it remain being vanilla.

But both are great,

let's just leave it at that.

Lastly just to keep things majestic, to

also American Eagle Day.

So let's salute our feathered national

symbol and all those

sweet full back eagle tattoos.

Now our quote today is from someone that

just may have a full

back American Eagle tattoo

too.

Now I'll have to confirm that but I do

know she has race under

pressure and poised with

purpose.

Here's a little wisdom from Nicole Kidman

who said quote "I believe that as much as

you take you have to get back.

It's important not to

focus on yourself too much."

So as you're making your way through the

day take a little

moment to reach out, lift up

and pass it on.

Alright well today's news, facts and

birthdays are for June 20th.

And I'm going to give you another local

fun fact since we're

here at the Nike Outdoor

National Track Meet,

the University of Oregon.

Now the co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight,

he graduated from this

university way back in

1959.

Now we're going to start back in 1782

when on this date the US

Congress, they officially

adopted the great seal of

the United States of America.

Started in 1975 Steven Spielberg's "Jaws"

it was released and

emotionally sparred an

entire generation.

Then in 1980 on this day Robert Duran he

defeated Sugar Ray Leonard

for the WBC Welter Weatherway

title.

Then in 2003 the Harry Potter book "The

Order of the Phoenix" it was released.

And then lastly in 2012 after taking his

talents down to Miami

LeBron James won his first NBA

championship with the Miami Heat.

Alright well happy birthday

if today is your birthday.

You share a birthday with singer and

music icon Lionel Richie, he's 75 today.

Incredible music catalog there.

Actor from Roseanne in "The Big

Lebowski", John Goodman he's 72.

And Oscar winning actress

Nicole Kidman she's 57 today.

Well the number one song on this date

back in 1997 was "I'll

Be Missing You" by Pump

Daddy and Faith that's featuring 112.

Now all current events aside this

emotional tribute to a

notorious B.I.G. was a definitely

90s song and it became a global hit and

it dominated the radio airwaves.

Now I know I played a lot of basketball

pickup games with this

song playing in the background

out of some boombox.

Well we are not going to be missing some

self-improvement this Friday.

We are making our way through Stephen R.

Covey's "The 7 Habits of

Highly Effective People"

and we are still deep into

habit 3 but first things first.

Today we're focusing on the sub-chapter

"The Quadrant 2 Tool".

So Covey introduces the Quadrant 2 Tool

as a practical way to

manage time around priorities

instead of problems.

He argues that traditional time

management tools like task lists or

calendars they often

emphasize urgency over importance.

And the result of that?

Well you stay busy but

not always effective.

So Quadrant 2 is where importance but not

urgent activities live.

This includes long-term planning,

personal development, health,

relationship building,

and creative thinking.

And Covey emphasizes that these are

actions that provide the

highest leverage in our lives.

But they're also the easiest to neglect

because no alarm bells are

going off to get our attention

for this.

So to keep us grounded in what really

matters, Covey introduces

a weekly planning approach

built around our mission statement and

our key roles that we've

talked about previously.

So instead of letting these daily crises

or random tasks drive

our agenda, we begin by

identifying what's most

important in each role.

So parent, friend, manager, partner, and

then schedule time for those things.

Covey says, "The key is not to prioritize

what's on your

schedule, but to schedule your

priorities."

And that's the essence

of the Quadrant 2 tool.

He also encourages flexibility.

So life is going to throw us curve balls

and you may need to adapt to these.

But starting with the big ideas, the big

ones, the most meaningful

tasks, that ensures that

we're not going to be ruled by the

trivial little things.

So this approach puts Habit 1 be

proactive and Habit 2

begin with the end in mind into

action. Habit 1, as we remember,

gives us the power to choose.

Habit 2 helps us define what matters.

So here again, Habit 3 is where those

values get translated

into time and action.

And without the foundation of the first

two habits, Habit 3

becomes just another productivity

hack.

So here's the takeaway.

Don't be a slave to the clock or to

someone else's priorities.

Use the Quadrant 2 tool to claim your

time with intention and clarity.

Make room for what actually builds the

life you want before

urgency shouts louder than

purpose.

And remember, life's not just about

getting things done.

It's about getting the right things done.

Okay, so whether you're strutting around

in flip-flops, sipping

milkshakes, or just trying

to keep your dog from attending the Zoom

meeting today, just remember, prioritize

what matters and let

the noise just fall away.

Hey, thanks again for strutting your day

with us, spinning your feet with us.

We'll catch you on the next episode.

Have a great weekend.

And as always, have a fantastic day.

Don't forget to follow and subscribe to

the Morning Serial

Podcast on the One Life Live

It channel.

You can find more episodes and videos by

visiting our YouTube

channel and the website at Shawn

English and at ShawnEnglish.com, where

you can also follow our

other podcasts, the Mr.

and Mrs. English Podcast

and the Life Happens Podcast.

In these other podcasts, we'll dive

deeper into everyday issues,

self-improvement and

well-being, business and finance, and we

welcome special guests too.

So join us.

It will be a good time, I promise.

Thanks again for listening.

Have a fantastic day,

and we'll see you tomorrow.