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 4, 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 4 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.

(upbeat music)

Good morning.

And welcome to Morning Cereal.

Okay, good morning and welcome to Friday.

You made it to the end of the week

and just in time for two

fantastic national days.

Are you dying to know?

Well, me too.

Well, let's find out.

They're dying to know day

and happiness happens day.

One's about life's big questions,

the other's about

those tiny moments of joy

that sneak up on us.

Kinda like finding that extra

fry at the bottom of the bag

or the extra pickle on

your chicken sandwich.

You know what I'm talking about?

If you know, you know.

All right, well, I

bet you're dying to know

who today's quote is from

and how it's related to this episode.

Well, I'm gonna tell you right now.

Today's quote is from James Hetfield.

That's the front man

of Metallica who said,

never forget where you came from.

It's a simple reminder that our roots,

although they can be messy,

maybe they were magical for you or

somewhere in between.

Those experiences, they shape who we are.

So give yourself credit,

not just for how far you come,

but for what you've come from.

All right, well, today's

news, facts and birthdays

are for August 8th and

we're gonna start back in 1974.

That's when US President Richard Nixon,

he announced that he would

resign at 12 p.m. the next day.

Then moving up to 1988, the Chicago Cubs,

they hosted the first night

game ever at Wrigley Field,

ending a 74 year

tradition of daytime only games.

Well, that game

unfortunately was rained out,

but hey, it was the thought that counts.

And then finally in 1992 on

this day, you might remember,

that's when singer and

guitarist James Hetfield,

our quote giver, he suffered

second and third degree burns

during a pyrotechnic explosion on stage

at Olympic Stadium

during a Metallica concert.

Well, let's move on

to some happier times.

Happy birthday, if

today is your birthday,

you share a birthday

with singer and songwriter,

Shawn Mendes, he turns 27 today.

Swiss tennis legend,

Roger Federer, he's only 44.

And JC Chazez of NSYNC, he's 49 today.

And finally, Oscar

winning actor, Dustin Hoffman,

he turns 88 today.

Well, the number one song

on this date back in 1978,

we're going way back, was

"Grease" by Frankie Valli.

Now I know you remember this,

and it probably makes you

happy just to think about it,

but with a little help

from Barry Gibb songwriting

and John Travolta's

and Olivia Newton-John's,

while they're hip

shaking and they're dancing

and they're singing,

while the title track

of the movie "Grease",

it topped the charts across the globe.

Man, this soundtrack takes me back,

some great songs on this soundtrack.

Now I know I've said it before,

but I still kind of wish

Sandy would have stayed good, Sandy.

Oh well, life goes on.

"Grease" may be the word,

but Stephen R. Covey is the author.

We are still in habit

four of the seven habits

of highly effective people.

And today's focus is on win-win

performance agreements.

So Covey stresses that creating a culture

of shared success means being intentional

about expectations and

responsibilities, right?

That's where win-win

performance agreements come in.

They're not contracts in

the legal sense, right?

But mutual understandings

built on trust, clarity,

and self-management,

some of those things

we've been talking about.

So again, Covey is talking

about how these agreements,

they include those

five critical elements,

desired results, what do

you want to accomplish,

guidelines, what are the

boundaries and rules, resources,

what support is

available, accountability,

how will we measure

success and consequences,

what happens based on the results.

And Covey notes, quote,

these agreements shift

the paradigm of control.

The focus is on results,

not methods, end quote.

Now that means you're not micromanaging

how someone else gets there.

You're agreeing on

what success looks like

and trusting them to find the best path.

Now, one of Covey's

examples includes a manager

working with an employee

to outline expectations

and leave space for

creativity within there.

Now, the magic of this approach,

it invites ownership, right?

We keep saying that.

People take more pride in their work

when they have had a say in the process.

Now, Covey continues, quote,

when people participate in the

development of agreements,

they feel a greater sense of commitment

and responsibility, end quote.

So think about your own life, right?

Whether it's

collaborating with a teammate

or your co-parenting,

or even planning a vacation with friends,

clarity and a shared understanding,

being part of it,

it makes everything a

little bit smoother.

Okay, here's your takeaway.

Don't assume people know what you want,

even if you think it's obvious.

A win-win performance

agreement opens the door

to transparency,

trust and better outcomes

for everybody involved.

All right, well, that's

a wrap on today's bowl

of morning cereal,

whether you're on a quest for deep truths

or just trying to ignore the fact

that this is the last weekend

before summer break is over.

Well, either way, I hope you find a

little bit of happiness

and a little bit of

clarity on both those accounts.

All right, well, enjoy your weekend.

Thanks for hanging out with us today.

Come back on Monday.

And as always, have a fantastic day.

Don't forget to follow and subscribe

to the morning cereal 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. 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.