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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 Thursday.
Well, you've made it past Wednesday and
now we're officially in the emotional
stretch of the week,
where we all pretend we're
gonna catch up on our to-do list,
but it's gonna be Friday before we know
it and then it's the weekend,
so we might as well just do it on Monday.
Well, it's not just another Thursday,
it's National
Chocolate Chip Day Thursday.
So if someone questions your breakfast
cookie, just tell them it's tradition.
And it's also bring flowers to someone
day, which could be
sweet or really awkward,
depending on who you
pick to bring flowers to.
And then lastly, it's
International Day of Families,
which is a nice reminder to call your
people, or at least
text them a gif that says,
"Thinking of you" with a picture of a
confused cat, you
know, however you do it.
All right, well, let's kick off the day
with some inspiration from Emmett Smith,
the NFL Hall of Famer and
all-time leading rusher.
Emmett Smith said, "All
men are created equal.
Some just work harder in the preseason."
It's a reminder that
success isn't always flashy,
it's forged in the
stuff no one sees, right?
The quiet mornings, the extra reps, the
off-the-record grit.
So today, do the work that future you
will thank you for,
even if no one's watching.
Today's news facts and
birthdays are for May 15th,
and we're gonna start back in 1928.
That's when the first Mickey Mouse
cartoon, "Plain Crazy,"
was screened in Los Angeles.
Now, this was a silent film in which
Mickey tries to fly an airplane,
and it was in
reference to Charles Lindbergh.
Then we're gonna skip up to 1940, and
that's when the first
McDonald's opened up
in San Bernardino, California.
Now, at that point in time,
hamburgers were just 15 cents,
and no one was Instagramming their fries.
Well, in 1940 on this date, this is a big
one that we all have
on our calendars too,
this is the day that nylon stockings
first went on sale to the general public,
and stores sold out in just days.
That's a fashion
trend that will never end.
Then in 1988, on this date, the Soviet
Union began to withdraw from Afghanistan
after nearly a decade of conflict,
signaling a turning point
in the Cold War history.
Okay, I'm gonna add a new segment here
that we're gonna get into where we're
just taking a look at
some of the top headlines
from around the country today.
Hot off the press.
All right, Target reported better than
expected quarter one earnings.
That was driven by lower inventory costs
and a surge in essential shopping.
So investors are watching to see if this
sets the tone for
retail earnings this season.
All right, next, the New York Times says
a bipartisan group of senators introduced
a new immigration legislation, which
focuses on the skilled
labored visas and border security.
So hoping to bridge a long standing
political divide here.
And then lastly, NPR has reported that
NASA has officially
partnered with private companies
to develop lunar habitats
for future Artemis missions.
Now what that means, humans may soon be,
you know, glamping on the moon.
Well, happy birthday to
you if today's your birthday.
You share a birthday with Hall of Famer
running back Emmet Smith.
He's 56 today.
Then actor and singer best known for his
Baywatch roles and on
Melrose Place, David Charvet.
He's 52 today.
And then lastly, British tennis legend
and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray.
He's just 37 today.
And the number one song
on this date back in 1999.
Everybody knows it, "Live in La Vida
Loca" by Ricky Martin.
Now this track didn't
just top the charts.
It blew the doors off pop radio.
It actually marked the Latin crossover
explosion, if you remember
that back in the late 90s.
And it helped define
the late 90s music vibe.
It was bold.
It was bilingual.
And yes, it gave TRL its entire
personality for about three months.
All right.
Well, let's turn the page on today with
our ongoing journey through Stephen R.
Covey's "The Seven Habits
of Highly Effective People."
And we're still in part two, chapter one.
And we're zooming in on the sub-chapter,
"Expanding the Circle of Influence."
Now Covey's core message here is
deceptively simple, but wildly powerful,
as we've talked about before.
Effective people focus
on what they can control.
That means investing time and energy into
what he calls the circle of influence,
not the circle of concern, right?
The circle of concern, as we remember,
includes things that we care about,
but we can't directly impact.
Things like national politics, the
economy, climate change.
Our neighbors' obsession with leaf
blowers and water mitigation.
Well, meanwhile, the circle of influence
includes things that we can actually do
something about.
Our habits, our mindset, our work ethic,
how we treat people, and
how we respond to setbacks.
Now Covey is being very intentional here
to be repetitive on these concepts,
that we really ingrained them into how we
think and to how we
respond to things, right?
So Covey writes, "Proactive people focus
their efforts in the circle of influence.
They work on the things
they can do something about.
The nature of their energy is positive,
enlarging, and magnifying.
It causes their circle
of influence to increase."
So this idea of positive energy,
expanding your influence, is one of
Covey's central themes.
He's not just telling us to ignore
problems that we can't fix,
but he's saying that real power grows
when we stop
complaining and start building.
And at this point, he also continues to
remind us that different problems fall
into different categories, right?
We remember direct control.
Those are our own behavior.
Secondly, indirect
control, other people's behavior.
And thirdly, we have no control.
Things we just must accept.
But in each case, Covey offers a
proactive solution, okay?
So for those direct control, we need to
practice our habits and have discipline.
For those indirect control, we need to
use our influence and communication.
And for the items that we have no control
over, we just need to
practice acceptance and wisdom, okay?
Focusing on our circle of
influence builds credibility,
builds trust and
resilience within each of us.
So when we're steady and consistent, even
in the small things, people notice that.
Doors will begin to open
and our impact begins to grow.
So ask yourself, am I stuck in the
concerned circle or am I
acting in my influence?
Covey's advice is a
challenge and an invitation.
Don't wait for the change.
Be the change and watch
your influence follow.
So the takeaway, stop spinning your
wheels on the stuff you can't change.
And double down on what you can change.
Your circle will grow,
your stress will shrink,
and you'll start showing up in the world
with purpose instead of panic.
As Covey puts it, quote, "Anytime we
think the problem is out there, that
thought is the problem."
End quote.
Hey, thank you for
starting your day with us today.
Come back tomorrow for a fresh batch of
new quotes and facts
and talk about songs and a little bit of
book smarts as well.
But until then, focus on your circle.
Notice the beauty out there.
And maybe sneak a chocolate chip or two. Hey, have a fantastic day. 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.