Skip to content

Tag: Academy Awards

Charles Kettering, The Surrender Experiment, About Time, A Complete Guide to Goalsetting, and Surah At-Tawbah 126

Charles Kettering, The Surrender Experiment, About Time, A Complete Guide to Goalsetting, and Surah At-Tawbah 126

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 2, 2022

Sunday Supplement #34 (January 2nd, 2022)

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:

“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”

– Charles Kettering

Book of the Week:

The Surrender Experiment – Michael A. Singer

In Sunday Supplement #12, I highlighted Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul. That book is one of my favorite self-help/spirituality books and is one that gave me many tools to improve my life.

The Surrender Experiment is Singer’s autobiography that recounts his life from his early years as a loner and a searcher to his life as a computer program engineer that made him a multi-millionaire.

Throughout Singer’s journey, he stayed true to his spiritual and humanitarian efforts, which allowed him to put aside conflicting beliefs, let go of worries, and transform misdirected desires.

Many self-help books can appear to be a lot of advice from people coming off like they’re selling something. Michael Singer’s work passes on what has worked in his life without skipping over the contentious parts.

This book is a fantastic insight into Singer’s extraordinary life and is the perfect introduction to his guide to living in The Untethered Soul.

Movie of the Week:

About Time

Richard Curtis, the writer/director of About Time, has over 60 movies credited to his name. Of those are classics like Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

While About Time isn’t one of Curtis’ Oscar-nominated films, it is definitely one of his best and deserves a view.

The film tells the story of Tim as he turns 21 and learns from his father that he can travel in time and change what happens in his life. He decides to use his abilities to get a girlfriend but finds more difficulties in this task than he imagined. The lessons he learns along the way make a beautiful movie.

Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy star in the leading roles with solid supporting performances from Margot Robbie and Lydia Wilson. Each contributes to the well-written story in memorable ways.

About Time is a brilliant romantic comedy that provides a beautiful message for the New Year. The viewer has to put aside the logistics of time travel in the movie, but it allows for a special film to be seen if that is done. 

Brainfood of the Week:

A Complete Guide to Goal Setting — The Art of Improvement (Jack Heimbigner)

I featured The Art of Improvement on Sunday Supplement #30, and the channel makes another appearance for this post.

In this video, Jack Heimbigner goes over the importance of milestones and goal setting. We often fail to follow through with our plans, but the video explains why this happens and how to avoid that outcome.

Heimbigner breaks down S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal setting. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/relatable, time-bound, evaluate, and reward. Check out the video to see how each category is used to help achieve and manage your goals.

The video wraps up with the C.S. Lewis quote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

I believe goal setting is a valuable tool to help yourself move forward. The Art of Improvement video is a fantastic tool to help you plan for the new year. 

I’d also recommend checking out Sunday Supplement #8 and my blurb about Atomic Habits to help with setting achievable goals

Have fun with your goal-setting for 2022!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Do they not see that they are tried once or twice every year? Yet they neither repent nor do they learn a lesson.”

– Surah At-Tawbah 126

This passage from the Quran reminds me of the importance of reflecting and learning from my actions. The end of the year is the perfect time for looking back at what’s happened, seeing the lessons that can be gleaned, and planning for the year ahead.

My birthday is on December 27th, and I usually dedicate time on that day to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. I did an intention setting for the year ahead, but I put the yearly reflection aside for later.

I’ve since looked at my past year, celebrated my wins, and saw areas where I could improve. One of the exercises I did was a value and goal alignment. I looked at my values and goals and saw where I fell short and where I could adjust for the following year.

The simplest way to ensure I’m on track is to plan my schedule with activities and routines that reflect my values and goals. The above Art of Improvement video also helped me create a plan for 2022.

I always find it exciting when synchronicity strikes in my life. And the timing of coming across the Quran passage reminded me how vital it is to look at the year’s past tests and learn from them.

Reflect on the past year, learn and plan, move forward, and have a blessed year ahead!

2 Comments
The Dalai Lama, All Quiet on the Western Front, Rain Man, The School of Life, and an African Proverb

The Dalai Lama, All Quiet on the Western Front, Rain Man, The School of Life, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 26, 2021

Sunday Supplement #33 (December 26th, 2021)

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:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

– The Dalai Lama

Book of the Week:

All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque

The German novel about World War I was written by veteran Erich Maria Remarque and published in serial form in Vossische Zeitung magazine in 1928.

All Quiet on the Western Front was released in America the following year in book form and became the best-selling work of fiction for that year.

The story focuses on a German perspective of the war. A room of schoolboys is encouraged by their schoolmaster to partake in the glorious war on behalf of their country. The boys are moved by the call of patriotism and sign up for the army. From the point of view of an ‘unknown soldier,’ the novel then explores the horror and disillusionment of life in battle.

I remember reading this book in high school, and it hit me how there are two sides to every story, even in war. At the time, I probably had most of my knowledge of Germany in war influenced by World War II films. I can think back now to my reading All Quiet on the Western Front as one of the early seeds planted for the curiosity of perspective and learning others’ stories.

The book was adapted to a movie fairly quickly in Hollywood and won the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards in 1930.

I’m looking forward to re-reading this novel again, and I’d encourage anyone else interested to give it a chance.

Movie of the Week:

Rain Man

The 1989 Academy Awards had many great movies nominated for Best Picture, including Stand and Deliver (highlighted in Sunday Supplement #3), but it’s clear why Rain Main came away with the Oscar.

The story follows a selfish Los Angeles yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, as he learns his estranged father left his fortune to an autistic savant brother, Raymond, he didn’t know existed. Charlie then absconds with his brother and sets out on a cross-country trip to bring his brother back to Los Angeles in the hopes of gaining what he believes is his rightful fortune.

Tom Cruise played Charlie Babbitt, and Dustin Hoffman played Raymond. The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Barry Levinson, Best Writing – Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

In recent years, I’ve found that there aren’t many films, especially Hollywood movies, that have great depth outside of Independent Cinema. The ones that make it to mainstream attention are clearly worth watching, but many brilliant concepts and subjects get overlooked by the mainstream.

Rain Man is a remarkable film with tremendous character growth that gets depicted through a heartfelt and brilliant story. The movie is a classic, and one that stands remains relevant.

Brainfood of the Week:

Self Compassion — The School of Life

The School of Life is a YouTube channel consisting of psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives. 

The channel shares ideas on understanding ourselves better, improving our relationships, taking stock of our careers, and deepening our social connections. Another aspect focuses on the outcome of finding serenity and growing more confident in facing challenges. 

The School of Life offers films, online psychotherapy, online classes, and a range of books, e-books, and games. They publish a new video on their channel every Wednesday and have an audience of over seven million subscribers.

This video goes over the importance of self-compassion and provides a routine that you can use to engage in self-care.

The recording explains how most humans survive by becoming highly adept at self-criticism for not working hard or being smart enough. This behavior is so we don’t fall behind in life, but the behavior can sometimes become excessive and harmful.

The antidote to being hard on ourselves is self-compassion. However, we can be suspicious of this balancing tool because it can often look like self-pity. 

A way to healthily combat depression and self-hatred is self-care.

The School of Life suggests taking time for a 15-minute self-compassion exercise or meditation. The aim is to adopt a kindly perspective on your life and correct the negative flow of your wort self-accusations. 

The video is an interesting look at how important self-compassion is and one way of actively engaging in supporting ourselves.

Give the video a watch and see if it clicks for you, but, regardless, make sure to be compassionate to yourself and make self-care a top priority.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“One who loves you loves you with your dirt.”

– African Proverb

A friend recently told me that things don’t need to be perfect to be good. 

I think we can get upset at times when we see something that is unfair, or we see something or someone that has the potential to be better.

When we focus on our thoughts of what could be better, we fail to validate the moment that is right in front of us.

When I read this proverb, I’m reminded of the meaning of unconditional love.

I don’t believe that means we need to validate bad behavior, but I hope to be able to see through the dirt more as I grow.

See if you can find a moment to be compassionate, and have a blessed week ahead!

2 Comments
Emily Dickinson, Elevation, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dodo, and Romans 15:4

Emily Dickinson, Elevation, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dodo, and Romans 15:4

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 19, 2021

Sunday Supplement #32 (December 19th, 2021)

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:

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.”

– Emily Dickinson

Book of the Week:

Elevation – Stephen King

I’ve featured two Stephen King books in the Sunday Supplements, Cujo in Sunday Supplement #19 and Eyes of the Dragon in Sunday Supplement #4.

Stephen King fans will know the affiliation of the number 19 in his works, so I felt it appropriate to dedicate a passage on the 19th to King.

I’ve given two different sides of King’s writing so far, and Elevation falls to his more positive side. If there is a single book in his canon that breaks his stereotype, this would be the one I’d encourage non-horror fans to give a chance.

Elevation tells the story of Scott Carey, who starts steadily losing weight at an increasingly alarming rate, even though there doesn’t seem to be a difference in his physical appearance.

Carey doesn’t want to raise the alarm, but he trusts his local doctor, who worries about the eventual outcome of the process. In the meantime, Carey builds a relationship with the couple next door who experience prejudices of the small Maine town of Castle Rock because of their sexual preferences.

As Carey comes to see the reality of his neighbors’ situation and his own, he starts to try and help the community.

I’ve read over 40 Stephen King novels, and this one (146 pages hardcover) was one of the most surprising and enjoyable. If you check it out, let me know!

Movie of the Week:

The Shawshank Redemption 

Stephen King features again with the adaptation of his novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

The 1994 adaptation of King’s novella follows the bond two men create through common acts of decency while imprisoned and their eventual redemption.

When asked what my favorite movie is or what I think the best movie ever made is, I usually answer Casablanca, Citizen Kane, or The Shawshank Redemption.

IMDB lists the film as number one on their Top 250 movies list, which backs up my claim why the film is one of the best ever made.

There is a big difference between the novella and the film, but the narrative’s overall message of redemption and hope isn’t lost.

The film didn’t do well at the box office and was nominated for seven Oscars but didn’t win one. This snub amazes me, but the film’s recognition in film culture makes up for the lack of awards.

If you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption, put it at the top of your list. The movie might become your favorite film ever.

Brainfood of the Week:

Human Chain Rescues Dog Stranded in Canal | The Dodo

The Dodo is one of my favorite Youtube channels to indulge randomly. Their channel aims to create a place for everyone who loves animals and cares about their wellbeing. They host uplifting videos about animals, their owners, and their stories.

In this video, a few total strangers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, come together to form a human chain to rescue a stranded dog in a canal.

Everyone once in a while, I find myself Googling or searching on YouTube “random acts of kindness” to give me a boost. What I find always lifts my spirits.

This particular video shows me the power of one person deciding to do something that makes a difference. That one act can give other’s courage to join.

Moments like these restore my faith in humanity. They can be small or big, but they always remind me that we have the power to make a difference in the world.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

– Romans 15:4

When I feel down, it can be hard for me to be positive or remember good times. This Bible passage reminds me that I have made it through every difficult period in my life.

Every time we go through enduring times, blinders can block us from seeing the light of the good times in our life. It can also be tough to believe that there will be more enjoyable moments in our lives in the future.

Our current situation might be the most challenging situation we’ve encountered, but our life experience should teach us that we’ve survived everything we’ve faced.

In moments where I haven’t faced challenges the way I hoped I would, or the results didn’t go my way, I’ve felt down or discouraged. However, when I have time to reflect, I’ve found that there usually are lessons for me to learn from each failure.

In the end, I find and choose hope. This passage perfectly reminds me that there is always something to learn and that we always have reason to hope for good times.

Find something you can learn from, find the hope from that lesson, and have a blessed week ahead!

2 Comments
Louise May Alcott, Awaken the Giant Within, Finding Forrester, Marcus Aurelius, and a Zen Proverb

Louise May Alcott, Awaken the Giant Within, Finding Forrester, Marcus Aurelius, and a Zen Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 5, 2021

Sunday Supplement #30 (December 5th, 2021)

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:

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.”

– Louise May Alcott

Book of the Week:

Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins

My first adventure into the self-help genre came in the form of Tony Robbin’s Awaken the Giant Within. He was the perfect entrance ramp for me on my journey of self-reflection and development. I’m not a massive fan of his voice or seminars, so I opt for his books rather than his videos.

Tony Robbins is one of the nation’s leaders in the science of peak performance, and he uses this book to guide people with the fundamental lessons of self-mastery.

Awaken the Giant Within provides techniques and strategies for mastering your emotions, your body, your relationships, your finances, and your life.

I first read the book around five years ago, and some of my favorite perspective tools stuck immediately. I particularly enjoyed neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and intention setting. 

NLP is an approach to communication where you focus on removing negative and limiting words from your vocabulary. The power of what you think and speak is highlighted, and the research behind the technique is fascinating. With intention setting, I found out how powerful it can be to shape how you want to participate in an experience before it happens.

There are many more brilliant techniques explained in the book, and all of them are worth exploring to see if they click for you. Tony Robbins’ work is all over the world for a reason.

Movie of the Week:

Finding Forrester

Finding Forrester follows basketball prodigy Jamal Wallace, as he is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. A chance dare connects him with a reclusive writer, with whom he refines and furthers his talent for writing while learning to express himself fully.

Mike Rich penned the brilliant screenplay that won him a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1998. Rich was picked up by Hollywood through his success in Nicholl’s screenwriting competition, and his script made it to the big screen in 2000.

Gus Van Sant directed the film, and the cast was wonderfully rounded out with newcomer Rob Brown and acting giants Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, and Anna Paquin. I’m still not sure how this movie completely missed the Oscars. 

The simple story is well done and is a thoughtful narrative of stepping outside your comfort zone. An underlying feel-good aspect of the movie is subtly done while addressing timely topics.

Finding Forrester didn’t receive the best reviews from critics, but it is worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

Marcus Aurelius: How to Think Clearly — The Art of Improvement

The Art of Improvement is a YouTube channel that makes videos with the focus of helping viewers learn how to better themselves and how to be more productive. 

Much of the video focuses on breaking down some valuable lessons from Aurelius’s Meditations writings on living a balanced life.

Because of overstimulation, our brain limits our focus to what’s most important to us. This technique is useful to our survival but has the unfortunate side-effect of making us miss what’s going on outside of our perspective. We then can get easily distracted and removed from the present because of our thoughts.

Aurelius, in his writings, came up with methods to help himself be more aware and attentive. 

The Art of Improvement video highlights three of his methods to help improve the consciousness of your surroundings and yourself.

The discussed methods delve into breaking the autonomous loop of everyday thinking, seeing situations through an objective eye, and practices of decluttering the mind.

The video is a wonderful introduction to some of the brilliant lessons left by Marcus Aurelius in  Meditations. Let me know if you found anything helpful and applicable to your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Knowledge is learning something new every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.”

– Zen Proverb

This proverb reminds me that growth isn’t always about addition. I tend to gravitate toward making sure I experience something new every day, even if it’s as simple as reading a chapter of a book or having a conversation with someone.

However, as I get older, I realize that eliminating bad habits or decluttering my schedule and the space around me makes a huge difference for my mental health.

Jesse Itzler, featured in Sunday Supplement #3, discussed how he did the math on how much time he spent watching college football each weekend and how many hours that would total over the next twenty years.

The short of that experiment is being more conscious of how we use our time. Itzler says if you only see your parents once or twice a year and are getting up there in age, you might only have a handful of visits with them.

This kind of reflection is the perfect example of how elimination can create space for more meaningful activities in your life.

Make space for something meaningful, and have a blessed week ahead!

1 Comment
Amy Collette, All the Light We Cannot See, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Gratitude Experiment, and Surah Ibrahim 14:7

Amy Collette, All the Light We Cannot See, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Gratitude Experiment, and Surah Ibrahim 14:7

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on November 28, 2021

Sunday Supplement #29 (November 28th, 2021)

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:

“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.”

– Amy Collette

Book of the Week:

All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See is an international bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (2015). It follows two narratives and tells a wonderful story set in World War II. =

Marie-Laure lives with her father, who works in the Museum of Natural History in Paris as the master of its thousands of locks. When Marie-Laure turns 6, she starts to go blind. Her father builds her a to-scale miniature model of their neighborhood so she can memorize by touch and be able to navigate the city.

When Marie-Laure turns 12, the Nazis occupy Paris, and she and her father flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo to live by the sea with her reclusive great-uncle. Marie-Laure doesn’t know that they carry the museum’s most valuable jewel that the Nazis are after.

In a mining town in Germany, an orphan, Werner, grows up with his younger sister. They become enchanted by a radio they find and the stations they come across. Werner becomes fascinated with building and fixing new instruments, which wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth.

Werner’s prowess as an inventor lands him a role with a special assignment to track the resistance to the Nazis. This task brings him across all fronts of the war and ultimately into Saint-Malo.

The book has so many lessons integrated into a beautiful tale. The characters are excellently crafted and allow for a depth that is felt long after finishing the novel.

Movie of the Week:

The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith brilliantly plays a struggling salesman who takes custody of his son after his wife leaves them. The film is based on Chris Gardner’s memoir and recounts the period of his life when he struggled to make ends meet, take care of his son, and battle homelessness.

The movie came out in 2006 and came up against many excellent films at the 2007 Academy Awards. The only Oscar nomination The Pursuit of Happyness received was for Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner. However, the film arguably should have been nominated for many other categories.

There are many good things to take away from the movie. The positive message is evident by the end of the story, and there are little moments throughout that will bring tears and smiles.

If you’re looking for a movie that is uplifting and has depth, this should be a movie you check out. You’ll find it on many top movie lists for a reason.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Gratitude Experiment — WatchWellCast

WatchWellCast is a YouTube channel that uploads animated videos that explore physical, mental, and emotional paths to wellness.

In this video, WatchWellCast delves into the causes behind happiness and how we can improve our overall happiness levels.

Humans operate on what’s called the hedonic treadmill. We generally stabilize on one level of happiness. Specific events might increase that level for a short period, but you come back down and settle at your normal level.

The things that give us temporary spikes in happiness can be taken for granted, and over time can stop psyching us up. 

A simple way to improve our overall happiness levels and create new baselines for our perspective is practicing gratitude. By setting time aside for appreciation and examining what you’re thankful for and why you stop ignoring what makes you happy.

WatchWellCast then goes into some scientific background of Dr. Robert Emmons and his studies on happiness. An exercise prompt at the end of the video is a great practice to incorporate into your daily routine.

The video is only four minutes long, and it is an excellent summary of happiness and a tool to increase yours.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If you are grateful, I would certainly give you more; and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.”

– Surah Ibrahim 14:7

One of the things I’ve worked on over the past year is control over my thoughts. 

I experienced a massive dip in many different areas of my life, and I was at a loss for why I no longer felt as good as I had before.

This passage from the Quran perfectly emphasizes the importance of gratitude and how important that is for bringing more good things into your life.

When I was depressed and sad, all I could see was the negative side of things. I realized later that it was okay to have dips, but I needed to build my base level back to being grateful.

In the passage above, there is also a warning for those who are ungrateful. It is no surprise to me that the lack of gratitude is linked with severe chastisement.

While I do necessarily agree with the level of punishment, I believe it is an important reminder of the depths of negativity we can experience when ungrateful.

I’ve worked on my mindset to be more positive and grateful, and it makes me realize how much in my life, even in the down moments, I’m thankful to have.

Check in with yourself about the things you are thankful for and have a blessed week ahead!

1 Comment
2021 © Drew Alexander Ross