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 your morning cereal.
(upbeat music)
Okay, good morning
and welcome to Thursday.
Today is Earth's Rotation Day,
which is a gentle reminder
that whether you are ready
or not, the planet is
just gonna keep on spinning.
Meetings, emails, and coffee included.
But before we dig in,
here's the answer to yesterday's trivia.
The answer is 12.
There are 12 zeros in a trillion,
just like your bank account.
Well, now the essential
vitamins in your morning cereal.
Today's quote is from
the late Stephen Hawking,
who was born on this date in 1942.
Stephen said, quote,
"however difficult life may seem,
there's always something
you can do to succeed at,"
end quote.
Now that's a solid reminder from someone
with some hardships of his own
that even in the face of challenges,
there's always potential for
action and for achievement.
It's focusing on resilience.
It's focusing on hope.
It's purpose, not limitations.
All right, you've heard enough from me.
So let's pour in some
of the let them theory
by Mel Robbins.
And today's section
is called The Standoff.
And if you've ever felt stuck, frozen,
or locked in a mental
tug of war with yourself,
this one is gonna hit close to home.
Mel describes the
standoff as that exhausting,
internal moment where you
know what you should do,
but you don't do it.
Now, just like we tell
ourselves, you're not lazy.
So I'm glad she says that too,
but you're also not
broken and you are simply stuck
between a desire and discomfort.
As Robbins explains,
quote, "a standoff happens
when your brain is
protecting you from discomfort,
even when that discomfort
would lead to growth," end quote.
Now, the problem isn't lack of
motivation, it's resistance.
Your brain is wired to
keep things familiar.
Even when familiar no longer serves you.
Robbins reminds us that,
quote, "your nervous system,
it prefers what it knows
over what will help you grow,"
end quote.
Now, that is why change feels heavy
before it feels rewarding.
So in this standoff,
people wait for confidence.
They wait for clarity or courage to
magically just appear.
But Robbins is blunt
about this saying, quote,
"you do not resolve a standoff by
thinking your way out of it.
You move your way out of it," end quote.
Action breaks the stalemate.
Even small actions count.
She emphasizes that the longer you wait,
the stronger that resistance becomes.
The brain builds a
case against the movement,
not because the action is bad,
but because uncertainty feels unsafe.
Letting people and even
yourself feel uncomfortable
is part of growth.
So the breakthrough comes when you
stop negotiating with the feeling
and simply just move forward.
Robbins says, quote, "the moment you stop
arguing with how you
feel and take one step anyway, the
standoff is over," end quote.
So this chapter
reframes stuckness as biology,
not failure.
The solution isn't more
self-criticism, it's momentum.
OK, your Thursday
takeaway is when you feel stuck,
don't wait for motivation.
Let movement in the standoff.
All right, well, as we
talked about earlier,
the world is spinning at
about 1,000 miles per hour
if you're sitting on the equator.
So whether you hesitate or not, you might
as well move with it.
Now, the prize from
the bottom of the box,
the Morning Serial Daily
Trivia question, is now.
What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Now, high school chemistry is going
to come right back to you.
I know you're going to remember this one.
Well, we will see you back
here tomorrow for the answer
to that and more sugar for the soul.
Hey, thanks for listening
to Morning Serial today.
And until then, have a fantastic day.
And we'll see you tomorrow.