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 Cereal.

Okay, good morning and welcome to a

Tuesday, which is way

better than a Monday, right?

Well, grab a coffee and head on out to

the bottom of your

driveway because today we're

going to salute some

of the unsung heroes.

It's Global Garbage Man Day.

So give them a thumbs up or

maybe a donut or something.

I don't know.

And hopefully your next garbage

collection day isn't too long.

Mine's not till Thursday, so I'll be

waiting out here a while.

I may end up eating that donut after all.

Well, speaking of tasty pastries, it's

also National Apple Strudel Day.

And finally, let's not forget it's

National Mascot Day.

Do you know the name of your high school

or your college mascot?

I'm going to give a big shout out to Big

J. I mean, nothing

says school spirit like

sweating in a giant foam costume, right?

Well, today's quote is from someone who

is familiar with sweating it out.

Venus Williams said, quote, "You have to

believe in yourself

when no one else does.

That makes you a winner right there."

End quote.

And maybe that quote will serve up just

the right amount of

inspiration that you needed

this morning.

You see what I did there?

Did you catch it?

Well, block out the

doubters and get after it, people.

Today's news, facts, and

birthdays are for June 17th.

So we're going to start back in 1885.

That's when the Statue of Liberty, she

arrived in the New York

Harbor aboard the French

ship.

I'm not even going to try to say it.

Then moving up to 1980, the Blues

Brothers movie starring

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Well, it premiered in

Chicago on this date.

Then in 1997, on this date, the very

first Harry Potter book

was published in the UK.

And here's a little known fact that maybe

you did or you didn't know.

But when the book was published in the

UK, it was named Harry

Potter and the Philosopher's

Stone.

But in the United States, it was called

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Well, finally on this date back in 2018,

the movie The

Incredibles 2, it set a box office

record for an animated release earning

$180 million during its opening weekend.

Well, it only held onto that record for

one year because in

the next year, the remake

of The Lion King beat that record.

Well, happy birthday to you

if today is your birthday.

You share a birthday with Poulter winning

rapper, Kendrick Lamar.

He's 37 today.

Tennis legend, Venus Williams.

She's 44 today.

And lastly, singer and

songwriter, Barry Manilow.

He's still going strong at 81.

Well, the number one song on this date

back in 1991 was More

Than Words by Xtreme.

Now, this ballad was a soft, more

acoustic departure from the

band's more hard rock image.

And I guarantee if you grew up in the 80s

and the 90s, chances

are that you sang this

song in the shower.

And it probably sounded pretty good.

Well, More Than Words climbed the charts

with its bare bones

honesty and its harmonies.

And it was the band's

only number one hit.

Although that record, Porno Graffiti, it

had some really great songs on it.

I mean, Wholehearted?

Come on.

Well, bear with me a few more words for

you in today's book

review segment as we continue

with Stephen R. Covey's The Seven Habits

of Highly Effective People.

And we're still in habit

three, putting first things first.

Today specifically, we're looking into

the sub-chapter, Four

Generations of Time Management,

which is a challenge to rethink how we

value our time and our energy.

And Covey, having studied time

management, says that he

would sum up the evolution of

generations of time management theory

into one single phrase.

And here it is.

That phrase would be, "Organize and

execute around priorities."

Now, Covey defines this generational

progression starting with

the first generation, where

people used simple tools like sticky

notes, alarm clocks, and reminder lists.

These were tools that helped us react,

but it didn't really help us plan.

So we move on to the second generation,

which introduced

calendars and appointment books,

which gave us a way to look ahead, but

still without a clear

compass for what actually

mattered.

Then we moved into the third generation,

which added prioritization.

Think about day planners, efficiency

apps, and

time-blocking strategies, right?

These tools, they helped us organize

tasks and set goals,

but often they prioritize

speed over substance.

So Covey would argue that we need

something deeper, a shift

to the fourth generation,

which is about

effectiveness, not just efficiency.

So it's the move from time management to

self-management, from

reacting to leading.

First generation is based on values,

principles, and long-term thinking.

It places a premium on these quadrant two

activities, which we're going to go over

tomorrow.

Those are the things that are important,

but not urgent, such as

relationship building,

long-term planning, and personal growth.

Covey writes, "The key is not to

prioritize what's on your

schedule, but to schedule your

priorities."

In other words, if it's not aligned with

your mission or your

values, why is it taking

up your time?

So Covey emphasizes the power of

proactive, weekly planning, focused not

around your calendar,

but around your roles and your goals that

we've been talking about.

You're not just an employee,

or you're not just a parent.

You're also a friend, right?

You're a learner, you're a creator.

Covey encourages us to align our weekly

schedule with these roles

and reflect on how to serve

each one of them in a meaningful way.

What's the result of all this?

It's a leadership-based life.

You stop letting your inbox or your daily

chaos run the show of

your life, and instead,

you're acting with clarity and a purpose.

As Covey explains, "The essence of the

fourth generation time

management is to organize

and execute around priorities."

Okay, so here's your takeaway.

It's not just about getting things done.

It's about getting the right things done.

Ask yourself, "What is the one thing I

could do in my personal

life that would have the

greatest positive impact?"

The answer to that belongs not in your

to-do list, but at the

very top of your life.

That wraps up your

Tuesday bowl of morning cereal.

Whether you're dancing in a really hot

mascot suit or defending

your last bite of an apple

strudel, make it count.

Thanks for joining us today.

We'll be back here tomorrow with more

nostalgic nuggets and

inspiration to kickstart your

day.

Until then, 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 seanenglish.com, where you can also

follow our other podcast,

the Mr. and Mrs. English

podcast and the Life Happens podcast.

In these other podcasts, we'll 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.

Good morning, Venus Williams said, quote,

you have to believe in

yourself when no one else does.

That makes you a winner

right there, end quote.

And maybe that quote will

serve up just the right amount

of inspiration that

you needed this morning.

You see what I did there?

Did you catch it?

A big shout out to Big J.

The number one song on

this date back in 1991

was "More Than Words" by Xtreme.

Chances are that you

sang this song in the shower

and it probably sounded pretty good.

Mark Ovi's "The Seven Habits

of Highly Effective People"

organize and execute

around priorities, end quote.

The key is not to

prioritize what's on your schedule,

but to schedule your

priorities, end quote.

So here's your takeaway.

It's not just about getting things done.

It's about getting the right things done.

Have a fantastic day.