Good morning and
welcome to Morning Cereal.
Okay, good morning
and welcome to Thursday.
It is this week flying by or what?
Man, we should have
three-day weekends every weekend.
I'd vote for that.
Well, today is a double
delight of national days.
First, good news, today is
Eat and Extra Dessert Day.
So, milkshakes and
chocolate lava cake, anyone?
And secondly, it's National Wildlife Day,
which is about raising
awareness about endangered
animal species, their habitats, and the
conservation efforts
needed to protect them.
So for our quote this morning, we have a
powerful reminder from
Beyonce this morning.
Beyonce said, "The most alluring thing a
woman can have is confidence."
And this is not just limited to women.
The right amount of confidence, and
that's a special note there.
It looks good on everyone.
All right, well, today's news, facts, and
birthdays are for September 4th.
Start back in 1888.
That's when George Eastman, he patented
the first roll film
camera and registered the
brand name Kodak.
The younger listeners might
not even know that name anymore.
Well, everyone knows this next one
because on this date in
1980, the Rubik's Cube, well,
it launched globally.
Whatever you do, just
don't peel those stickers off.
Learn how to solve it.
All right.
And finally, in 2002, that's when Kelly
Clarkson, 20-year-old
cocktail waitress from Texas,
she won the very first season
of American Idol 23 years ago.
Well, happy birthday to you.
Today is your birthday.
You share a birthday
with the queen bee, Beyonce.
She's 44 today.
Actor and the least loved son from
Yellowstone, Wes Bentley.
He's 47 today.
Singer Mark Ronson, he's 49 today.
Old Chicago Bull NBA
player, Derek Rose, he's 35 today.
Now, the number one song on this date
back in 2003 was "Frazy in
Love" by Beyonce featuring
Jay-Z.
Now, this was Beyonce's
explosive debut solo track.
And not only did it hit number one and
win a Grammy, but
Rolling Stone named it the Song
of the Century.
Now, reportedly, it only took Beyonce two
hours to write the song.
And then her boyfriend at the time,
Jay-Z, it only took him 10
minutes to write his rap.
Well, I would say that's a pretty good
return on their time.
Well, from chart-topping chemistry to
interpersonal synergy, here's
Kovey on valuing differences
in the seven habits of
highly effective people.
Now, Kovey suggests that synergy starts
when we champion our
differences rather than smooth
them over.
Kovey writes, "Differences are not
weaknesses, but untapped strengths."
Now, when individuals bring varied
strengths, perspective,
and backgrounds, the outcomes
usually they should become richer.
And Kovey recounts teams that shunned
homogeneity and instead they leaned into
conflict of thought,
evocative brainstorming, spirited debate,
and breakthrough creativity.
"Valuing the differences," he says,
"turns disagreements into discovery."
Now, Kovey urges us to move beyond
tolerance to appreciation.
And he notes that synergy is built not on
agreeing, but on acknowledging.
"I don't share that view, but I respect
and I can learn from it."
This approach also fosters inclusion.
Team members feel that they've been seen.
Diversity becomes that strategic
advantage and communications deepen.
Kovey emphasizes, "When people feel
valued, synergy follows."
Here's your takeaway.
Embrace differences as the fuel of
creative collaboration.
When we respect what sets us apart, we
unlock collective strength.
Today, savor that extra dessert and the
richness that it brings to your life.
One last piece of good news for you.
Tomorrow, it's Friday.
You're almost there.
Wear that confidence well today and we'll
see you back here tomorrow.
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.
In these other podcasts, we'll 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.