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 2, 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 2 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 cereal

Okay, good morning and welcome to Friday.

We made it and it feels good, doesn't it?

Well, it's gonna feel better,

especially if you're a cat person.

Well, you probably already had today

circled on your calendar

because today is

international hug your cat day.

So if you're so inclined

and you have a feline friend,

give them a good old squeeze.

By the way, did you guys see that guy

that sailed to Hawaii with just his cat?

He became an overnight celebrity.

Well, I digress.

Back to the here and now.

Today is also fakesgiving,

a day to gather with friends

and to enjoy Thanksgiving style feast

without all the holiday stress, right?

Fakesgiving.

Although I think for us in our household,

most of that stress is

around the huge meal prep.

Well, lastly, let's not forget

National Hole in My Bucket Day.

Because who needs

reminding that sometimes

even the simplest of tasks

can have their complications.

Seems like the story of my life at times.

Well, lucky for me and for you,

our quote today speaks

to just those moments.

Idina Menzel said, quote,

"You can't get it right all the time,

"but you can try your best," end quote.

And that's a perfect reminder

that striving for perfection

all the time can be exhausting

because sometimes just doing your best

is all that's necessary.

Well, today's news facts and

birthdays are for May 30th.

And we're gonna start back

in 1911 when on this date,

the first Indianapolis 500 was run

at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Now Ray Horan took the

checkered flag in a race

that would become an American tradition.

Then moving up to

1971, when on this date,

NASA's Mariner 9, it

was launched towards Mars.

And eventually it

became the first spacecraft

to orbit another planet.

Then in 1996 on this date,

the game-changing search engine, Ask

Jeeves, was launched.

Because apparently even in the 90s,

we were outsourcing our

questions to someone else.

Now, if you remember

using Jeeves like I do,

we spent more time waiting

for those results to load

than we did learning anything.

Well, finally on this date back in 1997,

the fifth element was

the number one movie

at the box office.

And that gave Gen X a visually wild,

oddly philosophical

ride starring Bruce Willis

and Chris Tucker.

And if you remember, Chris

Tucker was in leopard print.

Very nice.

Well, happy birthday to you

if today is your birthday.

You share a birthday with CeeLo Green,

the American singer-songwriter.

He's 50 today.

Also Idina Menzel,

she's the Broadway star

and voice of Elsa, everybody knows.

She's 54 today.

And Tom Morello, he's 60 today.

He's the guitarist from

Rage Against the Machine.

And lastly,

powerhouse country music icon,

Wynonna Judd, she turned 60 today.

Well, the number one song

on this date back in 1988

was "Anything For You" by Gloria Stefan

and the Miami Sound Machine.

Now this ballad showcased

Gloria's powerful vocals

and it marked a significant

crossover success for her.

The song remains one of

her most memorable hits

and it resonated with fans worldwide.

Transitioning from the rhythms of the 80s

to the rhythms of personal growth.

I don't know, that might be a reach,

but we're diving into Stephen R. Covey's

"The Seven Habits of

Highly Effective People."

And today we're focusing

on part two, habit two,

a personal mission statement.

Now in this sub-chapter

Covey emphasizes the importance

of creating a personal mission statement.

We've talked about it quite a bit before,

but that personal

mission statement is a means

to define your core values

and your long-term goals.

So Covey argues that

without a clear understanding

of our personal

principles, we risk being swept away

by external influences and

reactive behaviors, okay?

Stuff we've been talking about.

Covey says, "If you don't

decide what your life is about,

it defaults to what you

spend your days doing."

End quote.

Now I'm gonna read that one one more time

because that hit me kind of hard.

If you don't decide

what your life is about,

it defaults to what you

spend your days doing.

End quote.

Now, I don't know about

you, but there's oftentimes

I'll get lost in a

day just doing busy work

and I'm not being proactive, right?

So this highlights the necessity of

proactive living, okay?

Taking the time to reflect

on what truly matters to us

and aligning our

daily actions accordingly.

So developing a

personal mission statement

involves introspection and honesty.

It's about identifying what we wanna be

and what we wanna do and

the values we hold dear

and the principles we

want to guide our lives.

Covey suggests that this statement

becomes a personal constitution, right?

It's a standard by which

we evaluate all decisions

and actions in our lives.

Covey also discusses again,

that concept of re-scripting

that we talked about yesterday,

which involves recognizing

and changing ineffective scripts

or habits that have been ingrained in us

through our past experiences

or through societal expectations.

And by doing so, by re-scripting,

we can shift from a

reactive to a proactive mindset,

leading to a greater personal

fulfillment and effectiveness.

All right, Covey provides practical steps

for crafting a

personal mission statement,

such as identifying

the roles and the goals

and considering the

legacy we want to leave.

He encourages readers to revisit

and refine these

statements regularly, okay?

Ensuring that they

remain relevant and aligned

with their evolving values

in your life circumstances.

So here, I'm actually

gonna read from the book.

Yes, I actually do read the book.

Covey provides some

really good examples in here

of different ways to write

out your mission statement.

People might write it in different ways,

bullet points, sentences.

So here's just a few examples

that Covey provides in the book.

Succeed at home first.

Never compromise with honesty.

Hear both sides before judging.

Obtain counsel of others.

Be sincere yet decisive.

Develop one new proficiency a year.

Plan tomorrow's work today.

Maintain a positive attitude.

Keep a sense of humor.

Do not fear mistakes.

Listen twice as much as you speak.

These are all good ones.

These are more bullet point.

Here's another person's examples

where they kind of write out

what their mission's gonna be.

I will seek to balance career and family

as best I can since

both are important to me.

My home will be a place

where I and my family,

friends and guests can find joy,

comfort, peace and happiness.

And next they write, I value the rights,

freedoms and

responsibilities of our democratic society.

I will be a concerned

and informed citizen

involved in the political process

to ensure my voice is

heard and my vote is counted.

I will be a self-starting individual.

I will be free from

addictive and destructive habits.

My money will be my

servant, not my master.

So these are just a few

examples that you can use

as you're crafting your

own mission statement,

but here's the takeaway, okay?

Crafting a personal mission statement

is a powerful exercise in self-awareness

and intentional living, okay?

It serves as a compass,

guiding us through life's

challenges and decisions

and ensuring that we remain true

to our deepest values

and our aspirations.

All right, well, as we

wrap up this Friday's edition

of Morning Serial,

remember to take a moment

to reflect on your own mission.

And whether that's as

simple as hugging your cat

or sharing a meal with

friends this weekend,

or maybe even patching up

that metaphorical bucket

in your life, okay?

Make today meaningful.

Thanks for joining us and

be sure to tune in next week

and 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 seaningless

and at seaningless.com, where you can

also follow our other

podcast, the Mr. and Mrs.

Inglis 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'll be a good time, I promise.

Thanks again for listening.

Have a fantastic day and

we'll see you tomorrow.