Good morning and welcome
to your morning cereal.
Okay, good morning and
welcome to Wednesday.
You are at the halfway point
where you either feel
unstoppable this week
or maybe you're negotiating with yourself
about how early Friday
can technically start.
Either way, let's start
today on the right side.
Today is international waffle day.
Now, my grandma, she used
to put full strips of bacon
into waffles, so good.
And I'd highly recommend you trying it.
I think it probably actually
makes them healthier, right?
Little bit of protein in there.
All right, well, the answer
to yesterday's trivia question, jewel.
The measurement for energy is the jewel.
And now it is time for
the essential vitamins
in your morning cereal.
Today's quote is from birthday girl,
Sarah Jessica Parker,
turning 61 today.
She said this, quote,
"Sometimes the best
fashion statement is competence."
Now, your morning decode,
the way you carry
yourself is more impactful
than the actual clothes you wear, right?
All right, well, let's go ahead and hear
from the experts now.
It is time to pour in some
atomic habits by James Clear.
And today's focus is why
your brain builds habits.
Now we're getting into the
soups and nuts of chapter three.
And Clear explains that
habits are fundamentally
about efficiency.
The brain is always
trying to conserve energy
and habits are its way of
automatically repeating behavior
so you don't have to
think about them constantly.
He writes this,
"Habits are mental shortcuts
learned from experience."
End quote.
So imagine if every morning
you had to consciously think
through every step, brushing your teeth,
getting dressed, making coffee.
It would be exhausting.
Habits eliminate that mental load
by turning repeated
actions into automatic routines.
Now, Clear also points out
that habits free up brain power
so we can focus on new challenges.
Without habits, we'd be overwhelmed
by even simple daily tasks.
Another key insight is
that habits are formed
because they help us solve problems
more efficiently over time.
Now, when your brain
finds a solution that works,
it remembers it and it repeats it.
He writes this, "The
brain is constantly analyzing
which actions deliver the most reward."
End quote.
So over time, behaviors
that lead to positive outcomes,
they become automatic.
That's why habits, good or even bad ones,
can feel so deeply ingrained.
The catch is that the
brain doesn't always
distinguish between
helpful and harmful habits.
Unfortunately, if something
consistently delivers a reward
like checking your phone or snacking,
it can become automatic even
if it's not beneficial to you
long term.
Here, Clear emphasizes that
understanding this process
is empowering.
Once you realize that habits
are simply learned patterns,
you can begin to reshape them.
The goal isn't to eliminate habits,
it's to build better ones that serve you.
All right, here it is.
Your hump day takeaway is
habits exist to make life easier.
So make sure the ones you
build are working for you
and not against you.
All right, friends.
Enjoy a waffle today.
Perhaps with some
bacon, build a better habit,
and give your brain
something good to automate today.
All right, now the prize from
the bottom of the cereal box,
the morning cereal
trivia question of the day,
what is the height of the Eiffel Tower?
Now, you just need to be
close to get this one right,
right within 100 feet, I'd say.
All right, hey, thanks for listening
to morning cereal today.
We will see you back here tomorrow
for the answer to the trivia question
and more sugar for your soul.
And until then, have a fantastic day.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe
to the morning cereal podcast
on the One Life Live It channel.
You can find more episodes and videos
by visiting our YouTube channel
and the website at seanenglish.com,
where you can also
follow our other podcasts,
the Mr. and Mrs. English podcast
and the Life Happens podcast.
And these other podcasts will 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.