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 Thursday.

Well, this is Morning Serial's first

episode on location and

we're here at the beautiful

University of Oregon for the Nike Outdoor

National Track Meet.

And that's the stadium right behind me

where it's going to happen tomorrow.

Well, if your morning started off with

tripping over an empty

Amazon box while you're fumbling

for your coffee, well, congrats!

You're right on brand for June 19th.

It's International Box Day.

So go ahead and embrace the cardboard

chaos and get those

Amazon boxes into the recycle

bin.

Well, it's also World Sauntering Day.

It's a reminder to take life

at a nice chill pace today.

And there might be some people sauntering

behind me at some point tonight too.

And of course it's June 10th, so it's a

significant day in American

history, marking the end of

slavery and occasion for reflection and

celebration and progress.

Well, today we kickstart our day with a

quote from Zoe Saldana

who said, "It's okay to say

this is what I want and go after it."

And it's a reminder for us to stop

settling, speak up and

make a go for the life that we

really want.

All right, well, today's news, facts and

birthdays are for June 19th.

So we're going to start off today with a

fun fact from right

here at the University

of Oregon.

And this is in fact the only mascot in

the United States that

is modeled after a Disney

character, Donald Duck, right?

But it's not Donald Duck, it is

officially the duck.

And they have an agreement with Disney to

use the likeness of Donald Duck.

So fun little fact there for you.

Well, our first fact

from today is from 1865.

And that's when the Union troops arrived

in Galveston, Texas, delivering the news

of the Emancipation Proclamation.

And that was marking Juneteenth.

Then moving on to 1978, that's when

Garfield, the lasagna

loving cat, well, it debuted in

comic strips.

Then moving up to 1981, Superman II.

On this date, it topped the US box office

and my birthday cake.

Then in 1987, The Untouchables starring

Kevin Costner and Sean

Connery, well, it was released.

And lastly, on this date in 1991,

Colombian drug lord Pablo

Escobar, well, he surrendered

to the police.

Well, happy birthday to you.

If today is your birthday, you share a

birthday with the rapper

who likes to give a little

speed to the great

white shark on Shark Week.

That's Macklemore.

He's 41 today.

Then the actress from Guardian of the

Galaxies and Avatar, Zoe Saldana.

She's 46.

And singer and

choreographer, Paul Abdul, she's 62.

And lastly, actress

from Romancing the Stone.

You remember that movie, right?

I think an alligator ate

the stone at one point.

Well, Kathleen

Turner, she turned 70 today.

And the number one song on this date back

in 1980 was Funkytown

by Lips Incorporated.

Now, this song was a disco-fueled jam

that still inspires

spontaneous dance moves in

kitchens and cul-de-sacs, right?

Well, the song defined the early 80s club

culture and it

remains a certified earworm

to this day.

And you know what else is funky?

Steven R. Kobe's The 7

Habits of Highly Effective People.

And I'll admit that was a bit of a

stretch, but today we're

continuing through with habit

three and diving into the sub-chapter,

what it takes to say no.

And Kobe argues that learning to say no

is a central part of

living in a principle-centered

life.

It's not about being disagreeable or

rigid, but it's about

knowing what truly matters

to you and protecting that time.

Kobe reminds us that, quote, "You have to

decide what your

highest priorities are and

have the courage,

pleasantly, smilingly, right?

Nonapologetically to

say no to other things.

And the way you do that is by having a

bigger yes burning inside," end quote.

So habit three is about

putting first things first.

That means choosing activities that align

with your deepest

values and long-term vision

rather than reacting to external

pressures or fleeting urgencies, right?

Kobe connects this habit three directly

to the first two habits.

Habit one, being proactive, it's about

taking responsibility for your life.

And habit two, beginning with the end in

mind, it's about

defining what truly matters.

Without those two foundations, habit

three becomes just another to-do list.

So you remember, Kobe shared two

essential questions to

help guide our focus.

The first one being, what one thing could

you do that you aren't

doing now that if you

did it on a regular basis would make a

tremendous positive

difference in your personal life?

And the second one was, what one thing in

your business or

professional life would bring

similar results?

Okay?

So these questions are designed to push

us into quadrant two,

thinking, focusing on important,

but not urgent priorities.

Saying no then becomes

an act of self-leadership.

It's not about guilt or rejection.

It's about choosing the best yes.

And in doing so, you build

credibility with yourself.

You honor your own time and

you live more intentionally.

Okay, so here's your takeaway.

Don't let your calendar be a to-do list

of everyone else's priorities.

Say no with grace because you have a

deeper yes that drives your choices.

That's not selfish, that's self-respect.

All right.

So whether you're celebrating freedom,

dancing to disco, or just

sauntering around like some

of these people during the show,

remember, today is yours to prioritize.

Thanks for kicking off

your morning with us.

We'll see you here tomorrow.

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 Shawningless

and at Shawningless.com, where you can

also follow our other

podcast, the Mr. and Mrs.

English podcast and

the Life Happens podcast.

And these other podcasts will 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.