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 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, Habit 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 Serial.

Okay, good morning

and welcome to Tuesday.

Well, summer is starting to heat up down

here in Texas at least

and it's getting me thinking

about some pool time, maybe

some time on the golf course.

I don't know what your preferred summer

activity is, but I can tell

you, given today is Tuesday,

or one day closer to a Friday and that

uninterrupted weekend for some of those

fun summer activities.

And today's lineup of national days is

starting to make us

think of summer too, okay?

Here's the first one.

It's Insect Repellent Awareness Day.

That's very summery, so if you're headed

outside, consider it a

day where it's extra okay to

smell like a citronella candle.

And speaking of smelly candles, today is

Love Conquers All Day.

Hasn't everyone given or received a

candle from your loved one?

I mean, that's a thing, right?

Either way, give your loved one a special

hug this morning and

maybe, maybe just maybe,

it's time to text

that old flame of yours.

Or just give your dog an extra treat.

And if those don't scratch your itch,

it's also National Egg Day.

Maybe start the day with a protein-packed

omelet and finally,

it's World Bicycle Day,

so it's time to put down the car keys and

feel that summer breeze in your face.

Call on two wheels.

All right, well, our quote today is from

someone who loves repelling insects.

It's from Anderson Cooper who said, "The

truth is no one really knows what's going

to happen in the future.

That's why I try making

the most of each moment."

It's a reminder to embrace the

uncertainty of life and to

focus on what we can control,

which is today.

All right, speaking of today's, today's

news facts and

birthdays are for June 3rd,

and in 1956 on this day, Rock and Roll

was banned in Santa Cruz.

Now authorities in Santa Cruz,

California, they banned Rock

and Roll at public gatherings.

They deemed it, quote, "detrimental to

both the health and morals

of our youth and community."

Well, I like a little bit of Rock and

Roll and I think I

turned out just fine, so maybe

just a little

sensitive there, Santa Cruz.

Then on this day in 1965, astronaut Ed

White, he performed the

first American spacewalk

during the Gemini 4 mission, stepping out

into the void of

space for over 20 minutes.

There's a picture of

him doing it right there.

Then moving up to 1985, that's when CNN,

they launched Larry King Live.

I bet you thought I was going to say

Anderson Cooper because he

gave us our quote, but nope,

Larry King Live, that was a talk show

that would become a

staple of American television

for 25 years.

Then finally in 1988 on this date, the

movie Big starring Tom

Hanks, well, it premiered

in the US.

I'm going to ask you, what's the one

scene that you remember from that movie?

I bet it's the same scene

that everybody remembers.

I know it's the one that I remember, and

that's when Tom Hanks was

dancing on that huge keyboard

in the toy store.

Again, if you're watching this on

YouTube, there it is

right there over my shoulder.

Well, happy birthday.

If today is your birthday, you share a

birthday with a Spanish

tennis legend with 22 grand

slam titles, Rafael Nadal.

He's 39 today.

And Anderson Cooper, the CNN journalist

and television

personality that we've all grown

to love on New Year's Eve, he's 57 today.

And lastly, professional golfer and

architect, Hale Irwin.

He's 80 years old today.

And the number one song on this date back

in 1997 was Mm Bop by Hanson.

Now I know everyone remembers this catchy

little ditty

performed by the three Hanson

brothers.

Well, the song, it became a global

sensation, as we all know.

It reached number one in multiple

countries, earned

multiple Grammy nominations.

But if you really love this song, then

you should know, and

you probably do know, that

Hanson, they released a new version of Mm

Bop in 2023 called Mm Bop 2.0.

Ooh, very creative there

in that new title, Hanson.

Nicely done.

Well, let's bop right on into our book

review segment here.

We are in Stephen R. Covey's The Seven

Habits of Highly Effective People.

And today we're reviewing the sub

chapter, Alternative Centers, which

explores the underlying

forces that shape our

decisions and our lives.

So Covey challenges us to identify what

lies at the center of our

lives, what truly guides

us.

Covey argues that many of us

unconsciously, we build our

lives around these alternative

centers like family, work, money,

pleasure, friends, enemies,

even church, or even ourselves.

Now these centers provide a sense of

direction, feelings of

temporary security or happiness

even, but it's only to a point.

Covey argues again that these alternative

centers are inherently unstable.

For instance, if we're entirely money

centered, we're at the

mercy of economic ups and downs.

If we're spouse centered or family

centered, any conflict or challenge in

those relationships,

they can leave us

feeling lost or reactive.

So Covey introduces four key principles

that make up a principle

centered life and their

security, guidance, wisdom, and power.

Now these principles are timeless as he

likes to call them, and

they are what allows us

to move from reactive

to proactive living.

So here we're going to define each one of

them just a little bit more.

Security is our sense of worth.

It's our identity and self esteem.

If it's tied to something fleeting, then

we're constantly

seeking external validation.

In a principle centered life, security

comes from an unshakable

alignment with values like

honesty and fairness.

Okay, guidance is our internal compass,

and that helps us navigate

the decisions and priorities

in our lives.

When we're centered on people or things,

guidance can be clouded by

emotions or outside pressures.

Principles give us clarity, helping us to

see what really matters.

Okay, next is wisdom, and that's the

ability to see beyond

the immediate, to recognize

patterns, consequences, and connections.

Covey says, "Wisdom is the child of

integrity, that simple alignment of

purpose and principles."

Now when we're principle

centered, wisdom grows naturally.

And finally here, power.

Power is the capacity to act with

confidence and purpose.

It's not control over others, but it's

the ability to live deliberately.

A principle centered life fuels that kind

of authentic, grounded power.

Covey says, "Whatever is at the center of

your life will be the

source of your security,

guidance, wisdom, and power."

Now that's a pretty heavy truth to

swallow if you really

take that to heart, right?

He's saying that if your center isn't

rock solid, if it's

built on something outside

of your control, then you're going to

feel like you're always

playing catch up, never

really at peace.

Okay, here's the takeaway.

Covey's message here is

simple, but it's profound.

The center of your life

determines everything else.

If you're centered on something external

and temporary, your mood

and your sense of purpose

will swing with every up and down.

When you're centered on principles, those

values that don't

change with the headlines

or your social circle, you build a life

that's not only

effective, but deeply fulfilling.

So today, take a moment to ask yourself,

what's at the center of your life?

Well, feel free to have a second cup of

coffee before you jump

into that serious homework.

Hey, thanks for joining

us on Morning Serial today.

Enjoy riding a bike today or spending

time with loved ones.

And we'll see you back here

tomorrow with another full pour.

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.