Sunday Supplement #124 (September 24th, 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:
“We should celebrate when optimism and hard work triumph over cynicism, lethargy, and fatalism.”
– Sadiq Khan
Book of the Week:
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
The founder of Nike, Phil Knight, shares his story of the company’s beginnings in this excellent and engaging memoir.
Knight starts the book’s journey at a time fresh from his business school days when he decides to go on a world tour, not knowing what to do with his life.
The decision to create a company that imports high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan resulted in selling shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth.
From there, Knight recalls the early beginnings of his company, Blue Ribbon Sports, and takes the reader on a wild ride through the origins and beginnings of Nike.
Shoe Dog is a fantastic read with a few gems worth picking up in its pages. At the very least, you’ll learn about the story of one of the most famous brands in modern history.
Movie of the Week:
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The classic 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story of Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town.
Jack has grown tired of the same routine in Halloween Town, and on a walk in the woods one day, he finds a portal to Christmas Town. He then schemes to take over the holiday.
Tim Burton wrote the script with Michael McDowell and Caroline Thompson, based on a poem he wrote while working as an animator for Disney.
The film was nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar, becoming the first animated movie nominated in that category.
A classic of the Burton library, The Nightmare Before Christmas has a creepy but heartfelt story. The film is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and is well worth putting on the watch list.
Brainfood of the Week:
The Jar of Awesomeness & Celebrating Small Wins | Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, podcaster, and lifestyle blogger. I’ve featured him in many previous Sunday Supplements, usually his interviews of other people.
In this video, Ferriss is interviewed by Chase Jarvis, a photographer, artist, entrepreneur, and CEO of CreativeLive.
Ferriss discusses the jar of awesome, an exercise of writing down small moments of gratitude each day and storing them in a mason jar.
This practice helps build the habit of celebrating accomplishments and attuning to gratitude. It’s a simple exercise but is extremely valuable.
CreativeLive, an online education platform, hosts this video. Give it a watch and check out more of Tim Ferriss, Chase Jarvis, and CreativeLive if you enjoy it.
Closing Spiritual Passage:
“He who cannot pray at home will celebrate mass somewhere else.”
– Armenian Proverb
There’s a lot packed into this Armenian proverb. The obvious one for me is that if you reject one’s practices at home, they will go elsewhere to be accepted.
On the surface, this saying is rooted in prayer, but I think the proverb has many layers.
However, there are many things someone can feel rejected for, and eventually, they will move on to somewhere else if they don’t feel supported.
This proverb is a good reminder to engage and be interested in what the people around you care about. That way, you can understand them.
Stay positive, celebrate your successes, and have a blessed week ahead!