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 cereal

Alright, good morning

and welcome to Monday.

And for those of you keeping track,

it's the 153rd day of the year.

We only have 212 days remaining.

But let's just talk

about today in particular.

Today is National Rotisserie Chicken Day.

Yummy and yes please.

It's also National Rocky Road Day.

Double yummy and yes please.

Even though I'd prefer this chocolate

and marshmallow ice

cream without the nuts.

I don't know, where do you stand on that?

Controversial, I know, I know.

Well, it's also

National I Love My Dentist Day.

I think that's kind of controversial too.

Kind of hard to do that.

I've got lots of painful memories there.

Well, here's a good one for you.

It's National Leave the Office Early Day.

So it's encouraging a

healthy work-life balance.

Now, I'm of the age where

a healthy work-life balance

was actually frowned upon

when I started my career.

Well, someone that turns

frowns upside down however,

our quote today is from Wayne Brady.

Who said quote, "You never

know what you're capable of

"until you try something new."

End quote.

Now, Wayne's reminding us not to

underestimate ourselves.

Whether you're starting

a new job, a new hobby,

or just trying to

conquer this Monday morning.

Give it a go.

You might just surprise yourself.

Well, today's news, facts

and birthdays are for June 2nd.

We're gonna start back in 1941

and that's when

baseball legend Lou Gehrig,

he passed away from ALS at the age of 37.

Then on this date in 1953,

Queen Elizabeth II, she was

crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Then skipping up to 1966, that's when

NASA's Surveyor won.

Well, it landed on the moon

and it transmitted

some pretty cool pictures

back to the earth.

Then all the way in 1997,

and you might remember

this one on this date,

Timothy McVeigh, he was convicted

for the Oklahoma City bombing.

Then staying with that

slightly morbid news fact here,

in 2016 on this date, the

autopsy results from Prince,

they finally came in.

They showed that he died

of a fentanyl overdose.

Well, tough transition to birthdays,

but happy birthday to you

if today is your birthday.

And it's gonna be a good one

because you share it

with a lot of people.

Awkwafina, actress and rapper who blends

super funny comedy with

her cutting edge style,

she's 37 today.

Abby Wambach, Olympic

soccer gold medalist, she's 45.

Funny man, Wayne Brady, right?

Improv genius, he's 53 today.

Then Dana Carvey, he needs no intro.

Comedian and actor famous

for SNL in Wayne's world,

he's 70.

And lastly, Stacey Keach,

he's the actor that's

known for his voiceover roles

and his acting roles in

drama and crime series.

He's 84 today.

Well, the number one song

on this date back in 1994

was "I Swear" by All 4 One.

And this was a

quintessential 90s love ballad.

It not only dominated the charts,

but it also dominated weddings and proms

throughout the 90s.

And ever since, if someone squares to you

by the moon and the stars in the sky,

then you know it's

legit, definitely legit.

Well, let's turn to some legit

self-improvement here.

We're in the book review

segment of "Morning Serial,"

and we're reading

through Stephen R. Covey's

"The 7 Habits of

Highly Effective People."

And we're in the

sub-chapter at the center,

when again, we're

finding Covey challenging us

to examine the true

foundations of our lives, okay?

Covey suggests that

each of us has this center,

a core from which we make our decisions,

we draw strength from it,

and we interpret the

world around us from it.

Now, this center, it might be family,

it might be work, it

might be money or pleasure,

could even be our enemies.

But Covey cautions us

that centering our lives

on these external things

that can leave us

feeling unstable and reactive.

Covey says, quote, "Whatever

is at the center of your life

will be the source of your security,

guidance, wisdom, and power," end quote.

That's a powerful insight here, right?

If our center is constantly shifting

or based on things beyond our control,

like a job title or

someone else's approval,

then we are much more

likely to feel anxious

or defensive or directionless.

Now, these reactive tendencies,

they can keep us stuck in cycles of

stress and self-doubt.

So Covey contrasts these unstable centers

with a principle-centered life, okay?

Remember principles like honesty,

integrity, fairness,

and human dignity.

These are timeless

and they're unchanging.

And Covey says they're like a compass

that always points true north,

even when storms and

setbacks hit our lives.

Covey says, quote,

"Principles don't change,

they're deep fundamental truths

that have universal

application," end quote.

When we center our

lives on these principles,

we gain a kind of inner

stability that's hard to shake.

And Covey also points out

that many people get stuck

in a problem-centered mindset.

When problems become our focus,

we lose sight of the bigger picture.

Our decisions become

reactive instead of proactive.

And we let life's

turbulence pull us off course.

Moving to a

principle-centered life, Covey says,

is about shifting from this reactive mode

to one of a deliberate choice

where you don't just respond

to life, you're leading it.

Okay, here's the takeaway.

Covey's message in this

sub-chapter at the center

is that life's

greatest security and power

come not from

external success or approval,

but from internal clarity.

When you identify the

principles, you wanna guide you.

You build a foundation

that can weather any storm.

It's not about eliminating problems

or controlling the future.

It's about creating a life

where your actions are aligned

with your deepest values.

And that alignment, Covey says,

is what makes you truly effective.

All right, well, as we start this week,

let's embrace the values that guide us.

And we should also leave the

office a little early today

to enjoy some rotisserie chicken,

followed by some rocky

road ice cream, right?

Whether or not you eat the

nuts or not, that's up to you.

Hey, thanks for starting

your week with morning cereal.

We'll be back here again tomorrow morning

with insights and stories.

So come back for that.

And 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.