Month: April 2023

John Amatt, Fairy Tale, The Wizard of Oz, National Geographic, and a Japanese Proverb

John Amatt, Fairy Tale, The Wizard of Oz, National Geographic, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 30, 2023

Sunday Supplement #103 (April 30th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Adventure isn’t hanging off a rope on the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude we must apply to the day-to-day obstacles of life.”

– John Amatt

Book of the Week:

Fairy Tale – Stephen King

I’ve featured Stephen King in a few previous Sunday Supplement posts, but with the theme being adventure this week, I wanted to give his work another shoutout.

Many people might solely associate Stephen King with the horror genre, but I believe his work is typically much more than that.

Fairy Tale is one of King’s most recent books and tells the story of a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the outcome has the highest stakes for both.

The novel topped many bestseller lists and is a brilliant story with compelling characters in a fun, page-turning adventure.

Movie of the Week:

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is another classic in Cinema history, but it took a little time to attain its acclaim status. The film came out toward the end of the Great Depression and barely made back its budget.

The film was adapted from L. Frank Baum’s novel and tells the story of a young woman swept away to the magical Land of Oz, where she must embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard who can return her home and fulfill the others’ wishes.

Despite not being the most commercially successful, the film won two Academy Awards and became a hit after a TV run in the 1950s.

The Wizard of Oz was one of the first movies to use color to promote a fantasy setting. The history of the film is worth checking out, and despite some controversy, it is still a pivotal movie in Cinema and stands up to a modern watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

Why Is It Important to Explore? | National Geographic

National Geographic was founded in the late 1800s as a scholarly journal but is now a popular magazine. Their work inspires people to care about the planet and focuses on science, exploration, and adventure.

In this video, the question of why it’s important to explore is given to scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers who work with National Geographic.

Some of the people who answer the question are marine ecologist Clare Fieseler, anthropologist Emily Ainsworth, and environmentalist Juan Martinez.

The short two-minute video stuck out to me because of the different answers that were given. It’s also a fun reminder to check out some of National Geographic’s work.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.”

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proverb is fairly straightforward, but I think it’s an excellent reminder of how important it is to continue to be active and adventurous.

Like the John Amatt quote, I don’t think being adventurous has to be some daring physical feat, but I do believe it means pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

In the context of this proverb, being active to me means being conscious, not passive.

Some days can go by without much awareness, but we should create as many engaging moments as possible.

Look for adventure in your life, stay active, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Gabrielle Bernstein, Man’s Search for Meaning, Drive My Car, Daily Stoic, and a Kenyan Proverb

Gabrielle Bernstein, Man’s Search for Meaning, Drive My Car, Daily Stoic, and a Kenyan Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 23, 2023

Sunday Supplement #102 (April 23rd, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.”

– Gabrielle Bernstein

Book of the Week:

Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl

Man’s Search for Meaning frequently appears whenever I peruse lists for best self-help books or similar searches on the most influential books ever published.

Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and a Holocaust survivor. His memoir Man’s Search for Meaning recounts his time in various concentration camps and what he learned.

In the book, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering, but we can choose how to cope, find meaning, and move forward with purpose.

Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (the primary human drive as the pursuit of meaning, not pleasure) is explained in the book.

Reading about Frankl’s experiences is enough for a recommendation of this book, but it also provides a perspective worth taking a look at.

Movie of the Week:

Drive My Car

The 2021 film Drive My Car won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi wrote and directed the film about a renowned stage actor and director who learns to cope with a personal loss after accepting an offer to direct a production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

Hamaguchi adapted the screenplay from Haruki Murakami’s collection of short stories, Men Without Women. Murakami is one of my favorite authors (although I’ve only featured him in Sunday Supplement #5), and this film brilliantly captures his writing.

The film explores themes of trauma, grief, guilt, and recovery in a way that honors Murakami’s writing and provides a special cinematic experience.

I highly recommend checking it out.

Brainfood of the Week:

5 Life Changing Journaling Habits from the Stoics | Daily Stoic

The intro of this video is of Ryan Holiday discussing his journaling journey and the different prompts you can focus on for journaling.

Holiday then moves on to the video’s main focus, which is a general guide of five tips for journaling.

One of my favorite parts is when Holiday discusses the Anne Frank quote, “Paper is more patient than people.” He goes on to discuss the utility of journaling in this context.

I featured Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way on Sunday Supplement #36. His Daily Stoic YouTube channel has over a million subscribers.

The video is worth checking out, and if you like it, check out more of his work.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who refuses to obey cannot command.”

– Kenyan Proverb

This Kenyan proverb reminds me of the necessity and value of listening to others and keeping an open mind.

I sometimes find myself tuning out when someone offers advice or tells of their experience, which I don’t think has any connection with me.

When my mind wanders, I try to snap back to the present moment and listen without judgment. It’s in these moments that I find a connection.

I think it’s sometimes difficult to listen to others with an open mind, but I think it’s worth doing so even if you later reflect that there wasn’t something to gain.

The exercise of reflecting on ideas from outside ourselves helps us continue to grow and be open to new information.

Be open to new information, reflect on how we want to move forward, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Jay Shetty, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Kung Fu Panda, After Skool, and a Japanese Proverb

Jay Shetty, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Kung Fu Panda, After Skool, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 16, 2023

Sunday Supplement #101 (April 16th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“If you can build a muscle, you can build a mindset.”

– Jay Shetty

Book of the Week:

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success discusses seven simple principles that help cultivate a mindset that brings success.

The principles have some basis in Hinduism, and Chopra breaks down each principle into actionable steps to help change your perspective and invite success.

An example of one of the principles is 6. The Law of Detachment. In this chapter, Chopra discusses the benefits of not trying to change people and force solutions, but seeing how you can adapt to each situation or move on.

Chopra has written numerous New York Times bestsellers and was described by Time magazine as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

I’ve featured Chopra in two previous Brainfood of the Week sections and believe his work is worth checking out.

Movie of the Week:

Kung Fu Panda

The 2008 Dreamworks film Kung Fu Panda tells the story of a clumsy panda surprisingly chosen as the protector of the Valley of Peace in the wake of a villain’s pending attack.

Kung Fu Panda is a simple film with a powerful message of perspective and self-belief. It also packs many laughs and an entertaining story.

The film was also a commercial success and went on to have three sequels, multiple television show spinoffs, video games, and more.

In addition to its huge commercial success, the original Kung Fu Panda was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.

I haven’t seen any of the other films or subsequent spinoffs, but I thoroughly enjoyed the original and recommend it as a fun and uplifting watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset – Mike Rashid | After Skool

After Skool is a YouTube channel that animates videos as the backdrop to various life lessons presented by various individuals and texts.

Former professional boxer, entrepreneur in the wellness space, and host of the Civil Mind Savage Body podcast, Mike Rashid, shares his story and perspective for this video.

Rashid breaks down the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. He shares his life experience and how he embraces a growth mindset.

Lessons from the video include using problems as motivating factors and knowing that intelligence and skill can be improved with effort.

I featured After Skool in Sunday Supplement #16, and I’m glad for the opportunity to return to their channel to share this video.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“One man’s fault is another’s lesson.” (人のふり見てわがふり直せ)

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proves reminds me of the usefulness of thinking about how I interpret things and what I want to gain from them.

Instead of criticizing someone else’s behavior, you can use the situation as an opportunity to correct your own.

Another’s fault can also be a chance to catch yourself before you react and an occasion to support someone else instead of putting them down.

The opportunities for pausing and thinking about how you want to interpret things can be elusive, but seeing someone else’s fault is a chance to reframe your perspective.

Work on your ideal mindset, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Sunday Supplements

Sunday Supplements

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 9, 2023

Guide Page

I started this blog because I wanted to highlight quotes, books, movies, thought-provoking videos, and spiritual passages/proverbs I thought were worth sharing.

The intent was to recommend quality content each week and have a period of reflection.

To mark the occasion of 100 Sunday Supplements (04/09/2023), I made this landing page so it’s easier to navigate previous posts.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Date	Supplement#	Quote	Book/Author	Movie	Brain Food	Proverb	Theme
05/16/21	#1	Mark Twain	The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction – Alan Jacobs	Murder on the Orient Express (1974)	Mr. Money Mustache	Bible Passage (Matthew 22:39)	Starting
05/23/21	#2	Muhammad Ali	Rock Me on the Water – Ronald Brownstein	Princess Mononoke	Brené Brown	Jewish Creation Prayer	Growth
05/30/21	#3	David Suzuki	Devil in a Blue Dress – Walter Mosley	Stand and Deliver	Jesse Itzler	Quaran Passage (Surah Ar-Ra’d 24)	Perspective
06/06/21	#4	Eleanor Roosevelt	Eyes of the Dragon – Stephen King	Collateral	Cognitive Distortions	Atharva Veda Passage	Leadership
06/13/21	#5	Brianna Wiest	Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami	October Sky	Robert Rodriguez	Bible Passage (Romans 12:2)	Growth
06/20/21	#6	Jack Kornfield	Tales of the City – Armistead Maupin	Moonlight	Daryl Davis	Quran Passage (Surah Ghafir 40:60)	Compassion
06/27/21	#7	Benjamin Franklin	The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga	The Martian	Eckhart Tolle	Buddhist Prayer	Enriching
07/04/21	#8	Thomas Edison	Atomic Habits – James Clear	Bad Boys (1983)	Sadhguru	Bible Passage (Matthew 7:12)	Habits
07/11/21	#9	Audrey Hepburn	A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving	Life as a House	Yuval Noah Harari	Sutta Pitaka Verse	Possibilities
07/18/21	#10	Dr. Seuss	Attached – Amir Levine and Rachel S.F. Heller	It’s a Wonderful Life	David Foster Wallace	Quran Passage (Surat Al-`Asr 103)	Appreciation
07/25/21	#11	Anaïs Nin	The Once and Future King – T.H. White	Arrival	Malavika Varadan	Bible Passage (Proverbs 3:7)	Change
08/01/21	#12	Maya Angelou	The Untethered Soul – Michael A. Singer	City of God	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Dhammapada Verse 122	Persistency
08/08/21	#13	Theodore Roosevelt	Being Mortal – Atul Gawande	Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut)	Simon Sinek	Bible Passage (2 Timothy 2:15)	Doing Your Best
08/15/21	#14	Bethany Hamilton	Exhalation – Ted Chiang	The Last Dance	Nietzsche	Buddhist Proverb	Gratitude
08/22/21	#15	M. Scott Peck	The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman	The Painted Veil	Maurice Ashley	Yajur Veda Passage	Acceptance
08/29/21	#16	Plato	A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess	Howl’s Moving Castle	Alan Watts	Quran Passage 30:21	Ego
09/05/21	#17	Dr. Glenn Doyle	Personality Isn’t Permanent – Benjamin P. Hardy	Hacksaw Ridge	Marcus Aurelius	Bible Passage (Corinthians 13:2)	Self-Worth
09/12/21	#18	Maxime Lagacé	Who Moved My Cheese? – Dr. Spencer Johnson	The Matrix	Eckhart Tolle	Zen Proverb	Self-Esteem
09/19/21	#19	James Altucher	Cujo – Stephen King	The Full Monty	Ozro Hepworth	African Proverb	Honesty
09/26/21	#20	Jackie Joyner-Kersee	The Dog Stars – Peter Heller	The Imitation Game	Einzelgänger	Yajur Veda Passage	Perseverance
10/03/21	#21	Steve Maraboli	Frankenstein – Mary Shelley	Sweeney Todd	Kati Morton	Bible Passage (Proverbs 17:9)	Forgiveness
10/10/21	#22	Wayne Dyer	The Courage to Be Happy – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga	Forrest Gump	Michael Jr.	Quran Passage (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11)	Perspective
10/17/21	#23	Joyce Meyer	The Chronicles of Prydain – Lloyd Alexander	Good Will Hunting	Hugh Jackman	Zen Proverb	Progress
10/24/21	#24	Pema Chödrön	Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes	Brokeback Mountain	Eckhart Tolle	African Proverb	Awareness
10/31/21	#25	Chris Gardner	The Crucible – Arthur Miller	Spirited Away	Like Stories of Old	Bible Passage (Proverbs 25:18)	Strength
11/07/21	#26	Lao Tzu	The Power of Myth – Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers	The Lord of the Rings (Extended Editions)	Simon Sinek	Rig Veda Passage	Journey
11/14/21	#27	Judy Blume	The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho	V for Vendetta	Freedom in Thought	African Proverb	Fear
11/21/21	#28	Nat Turner	When Strangers Meet – Kio Stark	12 Angry Men	Julian Treasure	Bible Passage (Philippians 4:6)	Communication
11/28/21	#29	Amy Collette	All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr	The Pursuit of Happyness	WatchWellCast	Quran Passage (Surah Ibrahim 14:7)	Gratitude
12/05/21	#30	Louise May Alcott	Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins	Finding Forrester	Marcus Aurelius	Zen Proverb	Learning
12/12/21	#31	Johann Wolfgang von Goethe	Elantris – Brandon Sanderson	Stardust	Calm	Atharva Veda Passage	Belief
12/19/21	#32	Emily Dickinson	Elevation – Stephen King	The Shawshank Redemption	The Dodo	Bible Passage (Romans 15:4)	Hope
12/26/21	#33	The Dalai Lama	All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque	Rain Man	The School of Life	African Proverb	Compassion
01/02/22	#34	Charles Kettering	The Surrender Experiment – Michael A. Singer	About Time	The Art of Improvement	Quran Passage (Surah At-Tawbah 126)	Reflection
01/09/22	#35	Desmond Tutu	Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell	Jerry Maguire	David Goggins	Buddhist Saying	Accumulation
01/16/22	#36	Anne Frank	The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday	Mrs. Doubtfire	Absolute Motivation	Japanese Proverb	Happiness
01/23/22	#37	Brené Brown	The War of Art – Steven Pressfield	Slumdog Millionaire	Weiyang Xie	Rig Veda Passage	Self-Love
01/30/22	#38	Pythagoras	The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz	Dead Poets Society	Jordan Peterson	Bible Passage (Lamentations 3:40)	Reflection
02/06/22	#39	Alphonse Karr	Discipline Equals Freedom – Jocko Willink	Flight	Eckhart Tolle	African Proverb	Perspective
02/13/22	#40	Bruce Lee	Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins	Amadeus	Einzelgänger	Quran Passage (Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:159)	Forgiveness
02/20/22	#41	Napoleon Hill	Lord of the Flies – William Golding	King Richard	Headspace	Buddhist Saying	Intention
02/27/22	#42	T.D. Jakes	The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand	Fever Pitch (1997)	Simon Sinek	Japanese Proverb	Passion
03/06/22	#43	Alice Domar	12 Rules for Life – Jordan Peterson	Kiki’s Delivery Service	Michael A. Singer	Atharva Veda Passage	Appreciation
03/13/22	#44	Rachel Wolchin	A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin	The Last Duel	The Art of Improvement	Bible Passage (Proverbs 24:16)	Mistakes
03/20/22	#45	Robert Anthony	The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck – Mark Manson	The Banker	Brené Brown	Chinese Proverb	Blame
03/27/22	#46	Katie Read	Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman	Chasing Mavericks	Susannah Winters	Beninese Proverb	Self-Care
04/03/22	#47	Victor Kiam	The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett	Moneyball	Jim Rohn	Quran Passage (Surah Al-Qasas 28:54)	Persistence
04/10/22	#48	Andy Warhol	The Mindbody Prescription – John E. Sarno	Everything Everywhere All at Once	Alan Watts	Buddhist Parable	Perception
04/17/22	#49	Barbara Hall	Childhood’s End – Arthur C. Clarke	Eddie the Eagle	Matt Cutts	Japanese Proverb	Trying
04/24/22	#50	Henry Ford	Money Master the Game – Tony Robbins	Gattaca	Wayne Dyer	Rig Veda Passage	Manifestation
05/01/22	#51	Henry David Thoreau	The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman	El Mariachi	The School of Life	Bible Passage (Ecclesiastes 5:3)	Success
05/08/22	#52	Viktor Frankl	The Really Hard Problem – Owen J. Flanagan	Catch Me If You Can	Freedom in Thought	Dhammapada 103	Meaning
05/15/22	#53	Albert Einstein	The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin – Benjamin Franklin	Dope	Einzelgänger	Rwandan Proverb	Moving Forward
05/22/22	#54	Simone de Beauvoir	Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir	Apollo 13	Improvement Pill	Quran Passage (Surah Ar-Rahman 60)	Motivation
05/29/22	#55	Mary Anne Radmacher	The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	The School of Life	Japanese Proverb	Depression
06/05/22	#56	Alan Cohen	Waking Up – Sam Harris	Ferris Bueller’s Day Off	Improvement Pill	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Meditation
06/12/22	#57	Paulo Coelho	The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss	The Birdcage	Emily Esfahani Smith	Bible Passage (Ecclesiastes 3:12)	Meaning
06/19/22	#58	Sterling K. Brown	Kindred – Octavia E. Butler	He Got Game	Oprah Winfrey	Dhammapada 21	Understanding
06/26/22	#59	Madeleine Albright	Teacher Misery – Jane Morris	Hidden Figures	Brené Brown	Japanese Proverb	Experience
07/03/22	#60	Tim Ferriss	Moonraker – Ian Fleming	La Bamba	The Art of Improvement	African Proverb	Productivity
07/10/22	#61	Helen Keller	Mindfulness – Mark Williams and Danny Penman	In the Mood for Love	Einzelgänger	Sahih al-Bukhari 6126	Silence
0717/22	#62	Roy T. Bennett	A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness	Stand by Me	The Futur	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Acceptance
07/24/22	#63	Walt Whitman	I Am Legend – Richard Matheson	The Station Agent	The School of Life	Bible Passage (1 Corinthians 15:33)	Friendship
07/31/22	#64	Anne Wilson Schaef	The 4-Hour Body – Timothy Ferriss	The Karate Kid	Wendy Suzuki	Dhammapada 204	Health
08/07/22	#65	Marilyn Monroe	Watership Down – Richard Adams	The Truman Show	Improvement Pill	African Proverb	Change
08/14/22	#66	Abraham Lincoln	Roadwork – Richard Bachman	Fight Club	Psych2Go	Japanese Proverb	Awareness
08/21/22	#67	Michael J. Fox	Transitions – William Bridges	The Prince of Egypt	Simon Sinek	Quran Passage (Surah Ash-Sharh 94:5)	Change
08/28/22	#68	Evelyn Beatrice Hall	Battle Royale – Koshun Takami	Straight Outta Compton	The History Channel	BhagavaGita Passage	Free Speech
09/04/22	#69	Thomas Merton	The Man’s Guide to Women – John Gottman, PhD & Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD	The Wind Rises	TED-Ed	Bible Passage (1 John 4:18)	Love
09/11/22	#70	Mahatma Gandhi	The Lords of Discipline – Pat Conroy	Yojimbo	Sadhguru	Dhammapada 258	Action
09/18/22	#71	Randy Pausch	The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis	Hot Fuzz	Catherine Price	African Proverb	Fun
09/25/22	#72	Arnold H. Glasow	On Writing – Stephen King	Rocky	Escaping Ordinary	Japanese Proverb	Habits
10/02/22	#73	Oprah Winfrey	The Law of Attraction – Esther Hicks & Jerry Hicks	Titanic	Eckhart Tolle	Quran Passage (Sur Al Nisa 147)	Gratitude
10/09/22	#74	Mandy Hale	The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway	The Lives of Others	Sadhguru	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Loneliness
10/16/22	#75	Mary Halloway	The Mastery of Love – Don Miguel Ruiz	Groundhog Day	TED-Ed	Bible Passage (Galatians 6:9)	Resilience
10/23/22	#76	Sri Ravi Shankar	Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way – Jan Grobler	Before Sunrise	Psych2Go	Dhammapada 33	Rest
10/30/22	#77	John F. Kennedy	The Stand – Stephen King	John Q	Deepak Chopra	African Proverb	Gratitude
11/06/22	#78	James Baldwin	Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramahansa Yogananda	American History X	Rich Roll	Japanese Proverb	Change
11/13/22	#79	Aldous Huxley	Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel García Márquez	Seven Samurai	The School of Life	Quran Passage (Surah Al-Baqara 2:286)	Experience
11/20/22	#80	Iyanla Vanzant	The Myth of Digital Democracy – Matthew Hindman	The Social Dilemma	Simon Sinek	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Self-Reflection
11/27/22	#81	Leroy Satchel Page	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Díaz	Wind River	Participant	Shawnee Nation Proverb	Gratitude
12/04/22	#82	Charles Duhigg	A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle	Bend It Like Beckham	Psych2Go	Bible Passage (2 Timothy 1:7)	Habits
12/11/22	#83	Rachel Wolchin	Journey to the Center of the Earth – Jules Verne	Castle in the Sky	Jamie Foxx	Dhammapada Ch 5	Adventure
12/18/22	#84	Jane Howard	City of Thieves – David Benioff	Love Actually	Brené Brown	African Proverb	Family
12/25/22	#85	Wayne Dyer	Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill	Interstellar	Deepak Chopra	Bible Passage (Matthew 13:12)	Abundance
01/01/23	#86	Amit Kalantri	War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy	Lion	Improvement Pill	Japanese Proverb	Celebrate
01/08/23	#87	Antonio Brown	The Way of the Superior Man – David Deida	Garden State	Angela Lee Duckworth	Quran Passage (Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:139)	Self-Belief
01/15/23	#88	Michael Crichton	The Hero With a Thousand Faces – Joseph Campbell	Mulan	Ken Burns	Bhagavad Gita Passage	History
01/22/23	#89	Sundar Pichai	Little Scarlet – Walter Mosley	A Single Ma	Navajo Traditional Teachings	Dhammapada 78	Diversity
01/29/23	#90	Arthur Ashe	The Martian – Andy Weir	Whisper of the Heart	The Art of Improvement	African Proverb	Preparation
02/05/12	#91	Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq	The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle	BlacKkKlansman	Neil deGrasse Tyson	Bible Passage (Titus 1:16)	Knowledge/Action
02/12/22	#92	Oscar Wilde	Blink – Malcolm Gladwell	Men in Black	Sprouts	Zen Proverb	Experience
02/19/23	#93	Nelson Mandela	Will – Will Smith & Mark Manson	A Few Good Men	Cory Booker	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Perseverance
02/26/23	#94	Stephen Hawking	Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison	The Last King of Scotland	Bright Side	Quran Passage (Surat Al-Hadid 57:20)	Illusion
03/05/23	#95	Mahatma Gandhi	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon	The Intouchables	Einzelgänger	Chinese Proverb	Happiness
03/12/23	#96	Jackie Chan	Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling	A League of Their Own	Simon Sinek	African Proverb	Kindness
03/19/23	#97	Sophocles	Mindset – Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.	Half Nelson	TED-Ed	Bible Passage (Proverbs 11:14)	Listening
03/26/23	#98	James Baldwin	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larson	A Beautiful Mind	The School of Life	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Love
04/02/23	#99	William Shakespeare	How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie	Liar Liar	Sadhguru	Quran Passage (Surah Az-Zumar 39:3)	Honesty
04/09/23	#100	Anne Frank	Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes	Casablanca	Practical Psychology	Dhammapada 25	Improvement
04/16/23	#101	Jay Shetty	The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – Deepak Chopra	Kung Fu Panda	After Skool	Japanese Proverb	Mindset
04/23/23	#102	Gabrielle Bernstein	Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl	Drive My Car	Daily Stoic	Kenyan Proverb	Reflection
04/30/23	#103	John Amatt	Fairy Tale – Stephen King	The Wizard of Oz	National Geographic	Japanese Proverb	Adventure
05/07/23	#104	Moliére	Tales of the South Pacific – James A. Michener	A River Runs Through It	Psych2Go	Bible Passage	Grieving
05/14/23	#105	Anatole France	Moonwalking with Einstein – Joshua Foer	Dark City	Sprouts	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Memory
05/21/23	#106	Ansel Adams	To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Christopher Paolini	The Lost City of Z	Insider Tech	Quran Passage	Exploraiton
05/28/23	#107	Amelia Earhart	Unlimited Power – Anthony Robbins	Coach Carter	Sprouts	Guinean Proverb	Motivation
06/04/23	#108	Lailah Gifty Akita	Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman – Haruki Murakami	The Princess Bride	Yoga By Candace	Japanese Proverb	Rest
06/11/23	#109	Karen Salmansohn	Walking to Listen – Andrew Forsthoefel	Lilo & Stitch	Elizabeth Dunn	Bible Passage	Support
06/18/23	#110	James Baldwin	Narrative of the Live of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass	Fruitvale Station	Weird History	African Proverb	History
06/25/23	#111	Marcel Proust	Tigana – Guy Gavriel Kay	The Banshees of Inisherin	Richard Reeves	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Friendship
07/02/23	#112	Maya Angelou	The Psychology of Money – Morgan Housel	Minority Report	Philosophies for Life	Dhammapada Verse	Control
07/09/23	#113	Rollo May	The Other Wes Moore – Wes Moore	Dunkirk	Stephen Jon Thompson	Kitab al-Kafi Passage	Community
07/16/23	#114	Alia Bhatt	Gwendy’s Button Box – Stephen King	Rounders	Improvement Pill	Japanese Proverb	Passion
07/23/23	#115	Thomas Carlyle	Becoming Supernatural – Dr. Joe Dispenza	The Whale	Psych2Go	African Proverb	Health
07/30/23	#116	Leo Tolstoy	The City and the Stars – Arthur C. Clarke	28 Days Later	Sadhguru	Bible Passage	Change
08/06/23	#117	Elizabeth Wurtzel	Brave New World – Aldous Huxley	Little Miss Sunshine	Therapy in a Nutshell	Dhammapada Verse	Depression
08/13/23	#118	Mark Twain	The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald	Shattered Glass	Jim Rohn	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Ambition
08/20/23	#119	Rosa Parks	It – Stephen King	Lars and the Real Girl	Tim Ferriss	Japanese Proverb	Fear
08/27/23	#120	Anne McCaffrey	Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick	Das Boot	Brené Brown	Quran Passage	Compassion
09/03/23	#121	John Wooden	A Briefer History of Time – Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow	Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)	Jocko Willink	African Proverb	Failure
09/10/23	#122	John D. Rockefeller	Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier	Chariots of Fire	Simon Sinek	Bible Passage	Perseverance
09/17/23	#123	Robert Urich	Breath – James Nestor	Win Win	Little List Project	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Health
09/24/23	#124	Sadiq Khan	Shoe Dog – Phil Knight	The Nightmare Before Christmas	Tim Ferriss	Armenian Proverb	Celebrate
10/01/23	#125	Victor Hugo	Stardust – Neil Gaiman	Warm Bodies	Brad Troeger	Ethiopian Proverb	Love
10/08/23	#126	Willie Stargell	The Great Santini – Pat Conroy	Holes	Simon Sinek	Hadith Passage	Family
10/15/23	#127	Octavia Butler	The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg	Remember the Titans	James Clear	Bible Passage	Habit
10/22/23	#128	Confucius	Ready Player One – Ernest Cline	CODA	Improvement Pill	Japanese Proverb	Self-Belief
10/29/23	#129	Theodore Roosevelt	A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will – Robert Kane	The Worst Person in the World	Like Stories of Old	Dhammapada Verse	Decisions
11/05/23	#130	Hilaire Belloc	Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer	The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	The School of Life	Ethiopian Proverb	Travel
11/12/23	#131	Jen Sincero	Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Murakami	Bedazzled	Huberman Lab Podcast	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Gratitude
11/19/23	#132	Ginni Rometty	Thinking in Bets – Annie Duke	Safety Not Guaranteed	Sprouts	Japanese Proverb	Growth
11/26/23	#133	Vivek Murthy	The Inheritance Cycle – Christopher Paolini	Grave of the Fireflies	Stephanie Briggs	Bible Passage	Empathy
12/3/23	#134	Carl Jung	Timeline – Michael Crichton	Fiddler on the Roof	Rich Roll Podcast	Quran Passage	Change
12/10/23	#135	Leonardo da Vinci	The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason	25th Hour	The School of Life	Dhammapada Verse	Reflection
12/17/23	#136	Helen Keller	The Bartimaeus Sequence – Jonathan Stroud	The King’s Speech	Motivation2Study	African Proverb	Perseverance
12/24/23	#137	Leo Buscaglia	Great Expectations – Charles Dickens	Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory	The Dodo	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Giving
12/31/23	#138	Jackie Robinson	A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson	True Grit (2010)	After Skool	Japanese Proverb	Honesty
01/07/24	#139	Nadia Comăneci	The Dark Tower Series – Stephen King	The Theory of Everything	Sadhguru	Bible Passage	Passion
01/14/24	#140	Andrew Carnegie	Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace	Locke	Simon Sinek	Quran Passage	Leadership
01/21/24	#141	Heraclitus	Slade House – David Mitchell	Lost in Translation	The Art of Improvement	Dhammapada Verse	Experience
01/28/24	#142	Ray Bradbury	The Century Trilogy – Ken Follett	Office Space	Steve Jobs	African Proverb	Work
02/04/24	#143	Troy Palamalu	Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu (Ursula K. Le Guin)	Concussion	Jordan Peterson	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Rest
02/11/24	#144	Zora Neale Hurston	The Princess Bride – William Goldman	Dirty Dancing	Wentworth Miller	Bible Passage	Love
02/18/24	#145	Voltaire	Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson	Thank You For Smoking	The School of Life	Japanese Proverb	Choice
02/25/24	#146	George Eliot	Barsoom/Mars Series – Edgar Rice Burroughs	Big Fish	Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity	Quran Passage	Adventure
03/03/24	#147	Jürgen Klopp	Rules of Civility – Amor Towles	Waking Ned Devine	Marlo Anderson	Dhammapada Verse	Celebrate
03/10/24	#148	Jeanne Moreau	Start With Why – Simon Sinek	Adaptation	Einzelgänger	African Proverb	Meaning
03/17/24	#149	Maya Angelou	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael Chabon	Hitch	Carol Dweck	Tao Te Ching	Growth
03/24/24	#150	Kemi Sogunle	Daring Greatly – Brené Brown	Magnolia	The School of Life	Bible Passage	Vulnerability
03/31/24	#151	John F. Kennedy	The Dead Zone – Stephen King	The Last Samurai	Kurzgesagt — In a Nutshell	Quran Passage	Gratitude
04/07/24	#152	Michael J. Fox	Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury	Philadelphia	Sadhguru	Japanese Proverb	Acceptance
04/14/24	#153	Ernest Hemingway	Our Man in Havana – Graham Greene	Hamilton	Dr. Russ Harris	Bhagavad Gita Passage	Action
04/21/24	#154	Pablo Picasso	Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions – Ed Zwick	Legally Blonde	Luis Von Ahn	African Proverb	Learning
04/28/24	#155	Blake Lively	The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle	Free Guy	David Goggins	Dhammapada Verse	Self-Belief
05/05/24	#156	Carl Jung	Ikigai – Héctor García and Francesc Miralles	Napoleon Dynamite	The School of Life	Tao Te Ching Verse	Calmness
05/12/24	#157	Katori Hall	1984 – George Orwell	Harold and Maude	Simon Sinek	Bible Passage	Listening

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Anne Frank, Year of Yes, Casablanca, Practical Psychology, and a Dhammapada Verse

Anne Frank, Year of Yes, Casablanca, Practical Psychology, and a Dhammapada Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 9, 2023

Sunday Supplement #100 (April 9th, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

– Anne Frank

Book of the Week:

Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes is the creator and writer of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and the executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder.

In Rhimes’ book, she describes how she used to devise every excuse possible to avoid public situations that made her feel uncomfortable.

But after a comment from her sister calling her out for never saying yes to anything, Rhimes promised to push herself outside her small and safe box.

It took me a few chapters to get into, but Shonda Rhimes’ vulnerability, wisdom, and charm made for an excellent read with many lessons to take away.

The biggest takeaway for me was that even when things are going well, looking for areas of improvement can make a massive difference in how we feel.

Movie of the Week:

Casablanca

The 1942 film Casablanca follows a cynical expatriate American cafe owner as he struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.

You’ve probably heard of Casablanca because it’s considered one of the best films ever made.

The reputation of the movie is well-warranted. Everything from the story, the acting, the cinematography, etc., is phenomenal.

Some classic films don’t stand the test of time, but Casablanca is one that ranks in the highest tier of Cinema regardless of the decade or year.

If you haven’t seen Casablanca yet, put it on your watchlist.

Brainfood of the Week:

8 Simple Self-Improvement Principles | Practical Psychology

Practical Psychology has over 2 million subscribers and uploads inspirational and motivational videos and tutorials on various personal development topics.

In this video, Practical Psychology breaks down eight self-improvement principles with the guide of the two-minute to being implementation.

The principles are pretty basic and are probably things you’ve come across, but it is a good reminder of how little things can help your overall well-being.

If you find the video too introductory/general for your liking, check out other Practical Psychology videos with a more in-depth look at self-improvement.

This is the first time I’ve featured their channel, but I always like coming across new sources of information. Give it a look if it calls out to you.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“By effort and heedfulness, discipline and self-mastery, let the wise one make of himself an island which no flood can overwhelm.”

– Dhammapada verse 25

The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha. It is in verse form and is one of the best-known and widely-read Buddhist scriptures.

I picked this verse for the Sunday Supplement because it encompasses our ability to achieve a level where we can withstand any storm against us.

Sometimes life can get overwhelming, and it feels like we are spent. It’s a relief to have support around us, but I believe we must also help ourselves.

Through our efforts, awareness, discipline, and self-mastery, we can become the best versions of ourselves.

Always try to grow and look for areas of improvement, and have a blessed week ahead!

*I’m excited about reaching the 100 post Sunday Supplement milestone. I might take a break or stop at some point in the near future, but I’ve had a blast writing this blog. I hope you’ve taken away something from it that’s brightened your week ahead! Thank you for being a part of the journey 🙂

**Here is a guide page in celebration of 100 posts. I hope it makes it easier to go through the past posts and gives you easier access to the content!

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