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.