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.