1 01:00:00,500 --> 01:00:03,166 Good morning and welcome 2 01:00:03,166 --> 01:00:04,750 to your morning cereal. 3 01:00:08,875 --> 01:00:09,916 All right, good morning 4 01:00:09,916 --> 01:00:12,000 and welcome to Thursday. 5 01:00:12,375 --> 01:00:14,541 Hang in there, you are almost there. 6 01:00:14,916 --> 01:00:16,541 Now, stay focused today 7 01:00:16,541 --> 01:00:19,250 because today is equal payday, 8 01:00:19,666 --> 01:00:21,083 which highlights that ongoing 9 01:00:21,083 --> 01:00:22,750 conversation about pay equity 10 01:00:22,750 --> 01:00:24,125 and it reminds us just 11 01:00:24,125 --> 01:00:25,708 how far that we've come 12 01:00:25,875 --> 01:00:28,250 and really how far we still have to go. 13 01:00:28,666 --> 01:00:29,500 All right, pay those 14 01:00:29,500 --> 01:00:30,375 women what they deserve. 15 01:00:30,958 --> 01:00:32,166 Well, now the answer to 16 01:00:32,166 --> 01:00:33,250 yesterday's trivia question, 17 01:00:33,916 --> 01:00:36,958 1,083 feet or 330 meters. 18 01:00:37,375 --> 01:00:39,166 That's the height of the Eiffel Tower, 19 01:00:39,583 --> 01:00:42,000 1,083 feet or 330 meters. 20 01:00:42,208 --> 01:00:42,583 Were you close? 21 01:00:43,125 --> 01:00:44,375 At least within 100 feet. 22 01:00:44,375 --> 01:00:45,541 If so, I'll give it to you. 23 01:00:46,125 --> 01:00:47,333 Well, now it is time 24 01:00:47,333 --> 01:00:48,500 for the essential vitamins 25 01:00:48,666 --> 01:00:50,958 in your morning cereal today's quote. 26 01:00:51,458 --> 01:00:52,166 And it's from birthday 27 01:00:52,166 --> 01:00:54,000 girl, Kira Knightley, 28 01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:55,500 turning just 41 today. 29 01:00:55,958 --> 01:00:56,791 She said this, quote, 30 01:00:57,083 --> 01:00:58,375 "You can't be afraid of 31 01:00:58,375 --> 01:01:00,166 what people are going to say." 32 01:01:01,541 --> 01:01:03,708 Now, your morning decode, let them. 33 01:01:03,958 --> 01:01:04,458 Remember that? 34 01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:06,333 Embrace your true self 35 01:01:06,333 --> 01:01:07,625 and follow your own path 36 01:01:07,625 --> 01:01:09,291 as you cannot control 37 01:01:09,291 --> 01:01:10,708 other people's opinions. 38 01:01:11,500 --> 01:01:12,791 All right, well, let's go ahead and hear 39 01:01:12,791 --> 01:01:14,041 from the experts now. 40 01:01:14,041 --> 01:01:15,083 It is time to pour in some 41 01:01:15,083 --> 01:01:17,333 atomic habits from James Clear. 42 01:01:18,000 --> 01:01:19,375 And today's focus is the 43 01:01:19,375 --> 01:01:21,500 science of how habits work. 44 01:01:22,125 --> 01:01:24,333 And Clear brings everything together here 45 01:01:24,458 --> 01:01:27,125 by explaining that habits are deeply tied 46 01:01:27,291 --> 01:01:29,708 to neurology and repetition, okay? 47 01:01:30,208 --> 01:01:31,750 Each time you perform a behavior, 48 01:01:31,958 --> 01:01:34,500 your brain strengthens neural pathways 49 01:01:34,666 --> 01:01:36,041 associated with that action. 50 01:01:36,500 --> 01:01:37,416 Think of it like carving 51 01:01:37,416 --> 01:01:38,541 a path through a field. 52 01:01:38,541 --> 01:01:39,791 The first time, it's difficult. 53 01:01:40,250 --> 01:01:42,000 But the more you walk that path, 54 01:01:42,291 --> 01:01:44,625 the clearer and easier the path becomes. 55 01:01:45,333 --> 01:01:46,166 Clear writes this, quote, 56 01:01:46,541 --> 01:01:47,666 "Habits form as the 57 01:01:47,666 --> 01:01:49,291 brain continuously looks 58 01:01:49,708 --> 01:01:51,958 "for ways to save effort," end quote. 59 01:01:52,375 --> 01:01:53,333 So this explains why 60 01:01:53,333 --> 01:01:54,708 repetition is so critical. 61 01:01:55,041 --> 01:01:56,250 It's not about perfection, 62 01:01:56,666 --> 01:01:58,541 it's about the consistency of it. 63 01:01:58,916 --> 01:01:59,958 And he also highlights 64 01:01:59,958 --> 01:02:01,333 the role of dopamine. 65 01:02:01,541 --> 01:02:01,916 Remember that 66 01:02:01,916 --> 01:02:03,000 chemical we've talked about? 67 01:02:03,375 --> 01:02:03,916 Well, that's the 68 01:02:03,916 --> 01:02:05,000 chemical that's associated 69 01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:06,666 with motivation and reward. 70 01:02:07,208 --> 01:02:09,041 Dopamine doesn't just spike when you 71 01:02:09,041 --> 01:02:10,041 experience pleasure, 72 01:02:10,416 --> 01:02:13,333 it also spikes in the anticipation of it. 73 01:02:13,583 --> 01:02:14,291 This means that your 74 01:02:14,291 --> 01:02:16,041 brain begins to associate cues 75 01:02:16,291 --> 01:02:17,000 with rewards, 76 01:02:17,375 --> 01:02:18,958 creating that powerful cycle 77 01:02:18,958 --> 01:02:20,666 of expectation and action. 78 01:02:21,250 --> 01:02:22,250 Clear writes this, quote, 79 01:02:22,375 --> 01:02:24,583 "It is the anticipation of a reward, 80 01:02:24,583 --> 01:02:26,083 "not the fulfillment that gets 81 01:02:26,083 --> 01:02:28,083 us to take action," end quote. 82 01:02:28,583 --> 01:02:30,458 So this insight here explains 83 01:02:30,666 --> 01:02:32,625 why habits can be so compelling. 84 01:02:33,000 --> 01:02:34,916 Once your brain expects that reward, 85 01:02:35,291 --> 01:02:37,125 it pushes you towards the behavior, 86 01:02:37,666 --> 01:02:39,375 even before the reward arrives. 87 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:42,333 So the key takeaway here is that habits 88 01:02:42,333 --> 01:02:42,958 are not about 89 01:02:42,958 --> 01:02:45,166 willpower, they're about wiring. 90 01:02:45,625 --> 01:02:46,958 By repeating behaviors, 91 01:02:46,958 --> 01:02:49,375 you're literally reshaping your brain. 92 01:02:49,500 --> 01:02:50,416 But this also means 93 01:02:50,416 --> 01:02:51,666 that breaking bad habits 94 01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:53,916 isn't about eliminating them entirely, 95 01:02:54,500 --> 01:02:55,791 it's about replacing them 96 01:02:55,791 --> 01:02:57,500 with better patterns, right? 97 01:02:57,750 --> 01:02:58,625 And over time, the new 98 01:02:58,625 --> 01:02:59,708 habit becomes stronger 99 01:03:00,000 --> 01:03:00,750 than the old one. 100 01:03:01,458 --> 01:03:02,416 Clear's message is 101 01:03:02,416 --> 01:03:03,625 encouraging here, right? 102 01:03:03,791 --> 01:03:05,208 Change is possible because 103 01:03:05,208 --> 01:03:07,041 your brain is always adapting. 104 01:03:07,458 --> 01:03:08,250 All right, thanks for 105 01:03:08,250 --> 01:03:09,500 sticking with us here today. 106 01:03:09,875 --> 01:03:12,208 Your Friday Eve takeaway is this, 107 01:03:13,166 --> 01:03:14,833 repetition rewires your brain. 108 01:03:14,833 --> 01:03:15,750 So choose habits that 109 01:03:15,750 --> 01:03:16,500 are worth repeating. 110 01:03:17,541 --> 01:03:19,750 All right, friends, stay consistent today 111 01:03:19,750 --> 01:03:21,500 because every small action 112 01:03:21,500 --> 01:03:23,458 is reshaping your future self. 113 01:03:24,041 --> 01:03:25,083 All right, now the prize from 114 01:03:25,083 --> 01:03:26,125 the bottom of the cereal box, 115 01:03:26,125 --> 01:03:26,750 the morning cereal 116 01:03:26,750 --> 01:03:28,250 trivia question of the day, 117 01:03:29,000 --> 01:03:30,500 what is the smallest 118 01:03:30,500 --> 01:03:32,625 planet in our solar system? 119 01:03:33,333 --> 01:03:33,875 Now, depending on 120 01:03:33,875 --> 01:03:34,791 when you went to school, 121 01:03:35,166 --> 01:03:35,625 you might have a 122 01:03:35,625 --> 01:03:36,416 different answer for this. 123 01:03:36,958 --> 01:03:38,041 All right, hey, thanks for listening to 124 01:03:38,041 --> 01:03:38,791 morning cereal today. 125 01:03:38,791 --> 01:03:39,666 We will see you back 126 01:03:39,666 --> 01:03:40,916 here tomorrow on a Friday 127 01:03:41,416 --> 01:03:42,875 for the answer to the trivia question 128 01:03:43,041 --> 01:03:44,541 and more sugar for your soul. 129 01:03:44,958 --> 01:03:48,125 And until then, have a fantastic day. 130 01:03:49,458 --> 01:03:51,000 Don't forget to follow and subscribe 131 01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:52,500 to the morning cereal podcast 132 01:03:52,791 --> 01:03:54,500 on the One Life Live It channel. 133 01:03:55,041 --> 01:03:56,708 You can find more episodes and videos 134 01:03:56,708 --> 01:03:58,166 by visiting our YouTube channel 135 01:03:58,375 --> 01:03:59,416 and the website at 136 01:03:59,416 --> 01:04:02,000 seaningless and at seaningless.com, 137 01:04:02,291 --> 01:04:03,125 where you can also 138 01:04:03,125 --> 01:04:04,583 follow our other podcasts, 139 01:04:04,916 --> 01:04:06,083 the Mr. and Mrs. English podcast 140 01:04:06,625 --> 01:04:07,791 and the Life Happens podcast. 141 01:04:08,583 --> 01:04:10,750 And these other podcasts will dive deeper 142 01:04:10,750 --> 01:04:11,625 into everyday issues, 143 01:04:11,958 --> 01:04:13,333 self-improvement and well-being, 144 01:04:13,458 --> 01:04:15,208 business and finance, and we 145 01:04:15,208 --> 01:04:16,500 welcome special guests too. 146 01:04:17,000 --> 01:04:18,041 So join us, it'll be a 147 01:04:18,041 --> 01:04:19,000 good time, I promise. 148 01:04:19,750 --> 01:04:20,583 Thanks again for listening. 149 01:04:20,833 --> 01:04:22,416 Have a fantastic day and 150 01:04:22,416 --> 01:04:22,916 we'll see you tomorrow.