Good morning and welcome
to your morning cereal.
Okay, good morning and welcome to Friday.
We did it.
We made it yet again
and it feels oh so good.
But be careful here, it may
also feel a little tingly,
even hot because today is
International Hot and Spicy Day.
A nice little reminder
that some things in life
are meant to wake you up.
Whether it's food, conversations,
or those darned uncomfortable truths.
Well, the answer to
yesterday's trivia question is 88.
A standard piano has 88 keys.
Now the essential
vitamins in your morning cereal,
today's quote, and it's
from model and birthday girl,
Kate Moss, who said, quote,
"I want to live my life in a way
"that when I get really
old, I look back at my life
"and I say, ah, I
lived it, not survived it.
"Now is a great time
to choose to live a life
"full of intentional action, right?
"Meaningful experiences and fulfillment,
"rather than merely
enduring day-to-day existence
"and avoiding risk."
Hey, one live, live it.
All right, well,
you've heard enough from me,
so let's pour in some of the Let Them
Theory by Mel Robbins.
And today's focus is the ABC loop still,
and we're talking about
step A, which is apologize.
Then ask open-ended questions, okay?
So, Robbins starts this
section with a powerful reminder
that conflict doesn't
resolve through dominance.
It resolves through humility.
She explains that apologizing isn't about
admitting fault for everything,
it's about acknowledging impact.
As she writes, quote, "An
apology disarms defensiveness
"and it opens the door
to connection," end quote.
So step A asks you to
begin with ownership.
Even when it's
uncomfortable, a simple apology,
I'm sorry for my part.
And that lowers emotional
barriers and signals safety.
Robbins emphasizes
that this isn't weakness,
it's leadership.
Quote, "The strongest
people are willing to go first,"
end quote.
Now, once that door is open,
the second half of step
A matters just as much,
asking open-ended questions.
Instead of accusations or assumptions,
Robbins encourages curiosity here.
Questions like, "Can
you help me understand?"
What was that like for you?
Invite honesty instead of resistance.
She explains that
open-ended questions do two things.
First, they shift the
focus away from winning
and toward understanding.
And then secondarily, they
give the other person space
to feel heard, something Robbins calls
a prerequisite for change.
Quote, "People don't
soften when they feel cornered,
"they soften when they
feel seen," end quote.
So this step, it
requires emotional regulation.
You must listen without interrupting,
without defending or
preparing your response.
And Robbins reminds us that, quote,
"Listening is not
waiting for your turn to speak,
"it's choosing to understand," end quote.
So step A isn't about fixing everything
in one conversation,
it's about setting the tone.
When you lead with
humility and curiosity,
you create the conditions
for trust, for progress,
and long-term change.
All right, here is your Friday takeaway.
Apologize to open the door,
then listen to understand,
not win.
All right, today, remember,
a little heat can spice things up.
Just don't burn bridges along the way.
Well, now the prize
from the bottom of the box,
the morning serial
trivia question of the day.
The Genius Friday
version, are you ready for it?
Here it is.
Up, down, top, bottom, strange and charm,
are varieties of what subatomic particle?
All right, thanks for listening to
Morning Serial today
and this week, have a great weekend.
We will see you back here on Monday
for the answer to the trivia question
and more sugar for the soul.
And until then, 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.
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 will be
a good time, I promise.
Thanks again for
listening, have a fantastic day,
and we'll see you tomorrow.