Good morning.
And welcome to morning cereal
All right, good morning
and welcome to Tuesday.
Well, today is May 20th and it's brimming
with quirky celebrations, right?
It's National Quiche Lorraine Day.
Now, my wife would enjoy a savory slice
of this French delight.
Although I'm good
with just scrambled eggs,
but make sure they're scrambled well.
And for the ambitious among us,
it's national, be a millionaire day.
And I've not seen any
instructions on how to do this,
so I'm just gonna have to
get back to you on that one.
But maybe an easier box to check today
is it's National Pick A Strawberry Day.
So get out there, dig
in the dirt a little bit
and enjoy the season.
Well, let's kick off the
day with some inspiration
from the icon Cher, who said,
"I've always taken
risks and never worried
what the world might really think of me."
End quote.
And this is a great reminder from Cher
that playing it safe rarely
leads to standout moments,
but measured boldness
usually has its own rewards.
All right, well, today's
news facts and birthdays
are for May 20th.
We're gonna start back in 1873,
and that's when everybody's
favorite old pair of blue jeans,
they were patented by
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis.
Then we're gonna jump
up to 1932 on this date
when Amelia Earhart, she departed
Newfoundland, Canada
on her solo flight across the Atlantic,
and she became the first
woman to achieve this feat.
Then up to 1983,
that's when the police song,
"Every Breath You Take,"
it was released on this date.
Now, I wonder how long
until that song shows up
as a number one hit down
here in our music section.
Well, lastly, on 2006 on this date,
the Three Gorges Dam, the
world's largest power station
by installed capacity was
officially opened in China.
If you're not aware of
this thing, Google it.
It's crazy big.
All right, well, here
are the top news stories
making headlines today
as of this recording.
First, The Wall
Street Journal is reporting
that the US Treasury yields,
they surged amid economic uncertainty.
Now, the yield on the US
Treasury bond briefly surpassed
5% early trading this morning,
which is reflecting investor concerns
over economic uncertainty
and the recent credit rating
downgrades that I talked about yesterday.
Now, this marks the highest level
since the 2008 financial crisis.
You guys remember that right?
Indicating potential
challenges for long-term
borrowing costs.
All right, secondly here, JPMorgan Chase,
they're looking at
potentially making a leadership change
at their CEO position.
At their annual investor day,
top executives showcase
their kind of credentials
as potential successors
to the CEO Jamie Dimon,
who announced plans to
step down within five years.
Now, the succession planning
has garnered significant attention,
given Jamie Dimon's
influence over politics
and the economics,
he's had a lot of
influence over his tenure.
And the bank's grown
substantially under his leadership.
And lastly, our president is out there
engaging in diplomacy talks
to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Well, apparently
there's been some phone calls
that are having with all the presidents
and quite a few European leaders as well
in an effort to negotiate an end
to this ongoing war in Ukraine.
Now, the discussions are following
recent prisoner exchange agreements
between Russia and Ukraine,
though a comprehensive ceasefire
still was remaining elusive.
Well, happy birthday to you.
Today is your birthday.
You share a birthday with Busta Bus.
He's one of the fastest
rappers that I know of.
Busta Rhymes, he's 52.
And three-time NASCAR Cup Series
champion, Tony Stewart,
he's 53 today.
Then actor recognized for his roles
in "Justified" and "Deadwood."
Timothy Oliphant, he's 56 today.
And lastly, Grammy
Award-winning singer and actress
known for her distinctive voice
and her enduring
presence in pop culture, Cher,
she turned 78 today.
Well, the number one
song on this date in 1986
was "The Greatest Love of
All" by Whitney Houston.
Now, this song was originally recorded
by George Benson in 1977,
but it was reimagined by Whitney Houston
for her debut album.
And despite initial
resistance from her label,
the track was released as a single
and it became her third number one hit
from her debut album,
with the other two number one hits being
"Saving All My Love For
You" and "How Will I Know?"
I love these songs.
They take me right
back to those magical 80s.
Well, let's jump right
into our magical final segment
for today, the book
review of Stephen R. Covey's
"The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People."
And today we're gonna
be wrapping up habit one,
"Be Proactive."
And we're gonna take a
deep look at the sub-chapter,
the proactivity, the 30-day test.
Now, Covey doesn't just
encourage readers to be proactive.
He dares us to prove it.
The 30-day test is a challenge.
For the next month, make and keep small,
but meaningful promises, not
flashy goals or grand gestures,
just quiet, consistent action,
rooted in personal accountability.
Covey writes, quote, "Start keeping
promises to yourself
and others, little promises,
but promises you can make with integrity
and keep," end quote.
So why does this matter?
Because according to Covey,
keeping promises, even tiny ones,
is how we build personal integrity,
which is the foundation
of long-term effectiveness.
When we break our promises,
we erode our internal trust of ourselves.
But when we honor them,
especially when no one's watching,
we create a real
self-confidence within us.
He ties this to his earlier concept
of the circle of influence.
Remember that?
If you focus your energy on
things you can control, right?
Your words, your
actions, your commitments,
that circle expands.
But if you waste your energy
on things outside of your control, right?
Remember, blame,
resentment, external validation,
your influence then shrinks.
So the 30-day test helps
us retrain our attention
toward inward accountability
rather than outward excuses.
Covey also offers
practical examples here.
If you want to strengthen a relationship,
he suggests writing a note of
appreciation once a week.
If you want to improve
your physical health,
commit to exercising
for just 15 minutes a day.
These are small wins, but
when you stack them up daily,
they become character.
He writes, quote, "Don't
make these promises lightly.
Make them with clear understanding
that you're building
strength of character,
a muscle commitment," end quote.
Now, that metaphor is spot on.
Proactivity is a muscle,
and this test is your
personal gym, if you will.
All right, here's the takeaway.
The 30-day test isn't about perfection.
It's about consistency.
Start small, follow through,
and notice how your
self-trust begins to grow.
Because if you can
trust yourself to show up,
no matter what,
you're already on the path
to lasting change.
And with that, we
officially close Habit One.
Great job, everyone.
All right, well, tomorrow we
open the door to Habit Two.
Begin with the end in mind.
Okay, well, that wraps up
today's edition of Morning Serial.
Embrace the spirit of
National Be A Millionaire Day
by, I don't know, investing
in yourself and your goals.
Remember, greatness often starts
with a single proactive step.
Hey, thanks for joining us today.
Come back tomorrow as we
start Kovey's Second Habit,
and have a fantastic day.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe to
the Morning Serial
podcast on the One Life
Live It channel.
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Thanks again for listening.
Have a fantastic day and
we'll see you tomorrow.