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 3, Habit 5, 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 3, Habit 5 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 Tuesday

and it's National Dog

Day because celebrating

loyalty, fuzz, and belly rubs should

never go out of style.

Now I've got to say I'm not a dog guy

generally, but I will say

our miniature dog sound, Paris,

well she's a special little puppy and

even though she's two

and a half years old, she's

still at a puppy size at nine pounds and

I'll just go ahead and

make my wife and my kiddos

happy and say happy dog day to Paris.

Well now a quote that's empowering and

honest from Melissa

McCarthy who said, quote,

"I think if anyone tells you the odds are

slim, just keep walking.

Just do whatever the heck you want to do

because they don't know

what they're talking about.

When you love something and you work

really, really hard

at it, you can do it."

End quote.

Now this is a long quote and it's candid

and it's a no frills

reminder that determination

can outweigh skepticism and that our

faith in ourselves

matters more than anyone else's

doubt.

It's a little bit like

Nike says, "Just do it."

Well today's news facts and birthdays are

for August 26th and

we're going to start back

in 1903 when Harry Houdini, he escaped

from chains underwater in

57 seconds at the Aquatic

Park in San Francisco, California.

Then in 1981 on this date, the Voyager 2

probe, it revealed

Neptune's moon, Triton, up close.

It was the first real

look at a distant icy world.

Then finally in 2014 on this day, Burger

King agreed to buy out the

donut chain, Tim Hortons,

for $11 billion.

Now I love a good Tim Hortons donut.

Actually, I'm just kidding.

I've never even heard of Tim Hortons.

Are those still a thing?

DM me.

I've never heard of it.

And Burger King spent $11 billion on it.

All right.

Well, happy birthday to you.

If today is your birthday, you share a

birthday with the newest

Captain Kirk, Chris Pine.

He's only 43 today.

John Mulaney, the

comedian, he's 43 today.

Michael Jackson's bestie and our favorite

home alone kiddo, Macaulay Culkin.

He's not a kid anymore.

He's 45 today.

And funny, funny movie

star, Melissa McCarthy.

She's 55 today.

And now the number one song in this date

back in 2011 was Party

Rock Anthem by LMFAO.

Okay.

I'll wait a few seconds here to give

everybody time to do the

running man as best as they

can as they hear that beat drop.

Are you done?

All right.

Well, this song is an

instant party starter.

It dominated the charts, dance floors and

corporate fitness classes alike, right?

It was released to its robotic moves and

its infectious beat.

It was the second

biggest selling single in 2011.

Behind?

Bruno Mars is just the way you are.

All right.

Well, if you are done doing the running

man, let's go ahead

and run into or jump into

whatever feels right into Kovey's, the

seven habits of highly effective people.

And in this sub-chapter, synergistic

communication, Kovey is

unveiling the art of dialoguing in

a way that elevates all participants, a

creative process and not a competition.

And Kovey describes synergistic

communication as, quote,

"the interaction of two or more

forces producing far better results than

could have been

achieved by either alone," end

quote.

Now, it starts with genuine listening and

mutual respect, like

one-on-one synergy, but

amplified in conversation.

So Kovey writes that in synergy, people

don't just exchange ideas.

They blend them, forming

new, more powerful ideas.

It's idea alchemy, if you will.

Kovey contrasts this with other poor

communication styles, spying, testing,

winning or telescoping,

which break down relationships.

Now, synergy demands a fourth

alternative, which is

stand back, listen, acknowledge

differences and then create together.

So to practice this, we start with

respectful inquiry, like, "Help me

understand your thinking."

Then we seek common ground, not lowest

denominators, but whole new platforms.

Kovey explains that synergy emerges when

people drop zero-sum

thinking and embrace creativity,

saying, quote, "Two heads functioning in

synergy form a third mind," end quote.

Now, Kovey also emphasizes

that synergy won't just happen.

It must be cultivated, right?

Safe environments are essential, where

stakeholders feel secure, contributing.

And consistent one-on-ones, transparent

communication and humility are the

climate for synergy.

Okay, here's your takeaway.

Synergistic communication transforms

dialogue into collaboration.

When we listen, value differences and

build together, the result is not just

shared understanding.

It's new, unexpected solutions.

All right, well, whether you're walking

your dog today blasting an anthem or

sparking collaboration,

make today uniquely yours.

Hey, thanks for spending your Tuesday

morning with Morning Serial, and we'll

see you back here tomorrow

for more motivation and entertainment.

And until then, have a fantastic day.

Sean Inglis and at seaninglis.com, where

you can also follow our other podcast,

the Mr. and Mrs. Inglis podcast and the

Life Happens podcast.

And these other podcasts will dive deeper

into everyday issues,

self-improvement, 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.