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, Chapter 2, 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, Chapter 2 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 Wednesday.

And you know what day it is, so I don't

even have to say it.

But it's also May 21st and it's brimming

with some great celebrations today.

And I hope you pick

some strawberries yesterday

because today is National

Strawberries and Cream Day.

So yes, please, maybe

poolside or at the beach for me.

And it's also National Wade Staff Day.

So show some extra appreciation

to those who go above and beyond.

And maybe not the ones

that let your glass stay empty

for 15 minutes at a time.

You know what I'm talking about.

Maybe just use today as a learning

experience for them.

Well, lastly, it's World

Day for Cultural Diversity.

And it's a good reminder

to embrace and celebrate

the rich tapestry of

cultures all around our globe.

And speaking of a rich tapestry

of golden neck chains in this case,

our quote today is from the iconic Mr. T.

Quote, "Don't wait for

someone else to make you happy.

Create your own happiness."

End quote.

Well, I definitely pity the

fool that doesn't take charge

of his own emotional wellbeing.

Well, today's news, facts

and birthdays are for May 21st.

And we're gonna start back in 1881,

when on this date, Clara Barton,

she founded the American

Red Cross in Washington, DC.

Then on this date in 1904, FIFA,

the world governing

body of football or soccer,

as we say here in the US, was founded.

Then in 1927 on this

date, Charles Lindbergh,

he completed the first solo nonstop

transatlantic flight

landing in Paris after

33.5 hours in the air

on the spirit of St. Louis.

Then lastly in 1991,

finally after 19 nominations,

Susan Lucci, she won her

first Emmy for Best Actress

for her role on ABC's "All My Children."

Okay, let's turn to

the news headlines today

as they are at recording here.

First, J.P. Morgan, CEO,

he's warning of a

potential stock market correction,

as reported by CNBC.

So Jamie Dimon, who's the CEO,

he cautioned that the stock market

could experience a

correction of approximately 10%.

And he attributes this potential downturn

to companies lowering

their earning estimates

amid the ongoing economic uncertainties.

Then the "Wall Street Journal"

is reporting former president Joe Biden,

he's been diagnosed with an aggressive,

late stage prostate cancer

that has metastasized to his bones.

And despite the severity,

apparently medical experts note

that with the appropriate treatment,

patients can manage

the disease effectively.

And then lastly, NPR is reporting

that House Republicans

are working to advance

a comprehensive budget bill

that includes

extending the 2017 tax cuts,

implementing Medicaid work requirements

and increasing border security funding.

However, internal divisions persist,

particularly over the

proposed Medicaid cuts

and the state and

local tax deduction caps.

So we'll keep an eye on this

one over the next day or so.

Well, happy birthday to you.

If today is your birthday,

you share a birthday with Josh Allen,

the NFL quarterback

for the Buffalo Bills.

He turns 28 today.

Then the

Belgian-Austrian singer-songwriter

who's famous for his hit

"Somebody That I Used to Know."

Godey, he's 44.

Then lastly, former

professional wrestler and actor,

best known for his roles as

B.A. Barakas in the A-Team

and clubber Lang in "Rocky III,"

Mr. T, he is 72 today.

And the number one song in

this date back in 1991 was

"I Like the Way," the

kissing game by High Five.

Now, this catchy song

became High Five's biggest hit,

topping the Billboard Hot 100 and it

earned gold certification.

But perhaps the song's

most interesting fact

is the fact that the song became the

1000th number one song,

the 1000th number one single

that was listed in Billboard magazine.

Well, "I Like the Way,"

we are turning the page

from "Habit One," be

proactive, to "Habit Two,"

begin with the end in mind.

In Stephen R. Covey's "The Seven Habits

of Highly Effective People."

And Covey doesn't ease

us into this chapter.

He opens this chapter

up with a mental exercise

that he'd like you just to slow down,

maybe sit somewhere by

yourself for a minute

and really think through it.

He wants you to picture yourself

attending a funeral.

Actually, you're

attending your own funeral

and there's four

speakers that are scheduled

to talk about you.

It's a family member,

a friend, a coworker,

and a community member.

So what is it?

He wants you to write

these down, actually,

but what do you hope that

they're gonna say about you?

And more importantly, what would they

actually say about you?

So here's Covey's point.

If you don't know what

you're working toward

in this life, right,

then how can you be sure

you're headed in the right direction?

Covey says, "All

things are created twice.

There's a mental or a first creation

and a physical or a

second creation to all things."

Now, this principle that every action,

every result starts first as an idea

is central to "Habit Two."

It's about using

imagination and conscience

to design your life

instead of reacting to it.

And unlike Habit One,

which centers on personal responsibility,

Habit Two asks, "What's

your personal mission?

What values guide you?"

Covey introduces the idea of crafting

a personal mission statement, okay?

A short, principle-based expression

of what matters most to you.

And don't make it fluff.

It's actually gotta be

what's really important to you.

It's the filter through which decisions

are gonna get made in your life.

When you know what you're all about,

everything from how you spend your time

to how you respond under pressure,

that all starts to align.

Covey warns that many people

climbed the ladder of success

only to realize that the ladder

is leaning against the wrong wall.

That's what Habit Two aims to prevent,

drifting into success that feels hollow

because it was never yours to begin with.

"If the ladder is not

leaning against the right wall,

every step we take just gets us

to the wrong place faster."

And Covey also distinguishes leadership

from management in this habit.

Leadership is doing the right things.

Management is doing things right.

Habit Two is where we choose what matters

before we chase what's efficient.

So that's the quick

introduction to Habit Two.

Here's the takeaway.

Begin with the end in mind by defining

what success actually looks like to you.

Write it down, live by it,

because if you don't

decide what your legacy is,

the world will decide it for you,

and the world might

not get it right for you.

All right, tomorrow we

explore the first subsection,

what it means to begin

with the end in mind.

Well, that wraps up

this hump day's edition

of Morning Serial.

Mr. T would say that's

enough jibber-jabber.

So remember, happiness

to some level is a choice.

Take charge of your own joy.

Thanks for joining us today.

Come back tomorrow as we get a bit deeper

into Covey's second habit,

and 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 seaningless

and at seaningless.com, where you can

also follow our other

podcast, the Mr. and Mrs.

Inglis 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.