Tag: African Proverb

Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on August 7, 2022

Sunday Supplement #65 (August 7th, 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:

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

– Marilyn Monroe

Book of the Week:

Watership Down – Richard Adams

When Hazel’s brother Fiver experiences a terrifying vision of their warren’s imminent destruction, the rabbits must convince others to flee.

Their adventure takes on many twists and turns and delves into a few deeper themes like authoritarianism and power structures.

Richard Adam’s research of rabbits and warrens helps provide a reading experience that feels like a realistic insight into the life of a rabbit.

After getting rejected by numerous publishers, the book was published by Collings and won the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Prize.

Adam’s book might be cataloged as a young adult or children’s novel, but it is an epic masterpiece that all ages can enjoy.

Movie of the Week:

The Truman Show

In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman who discovers that his whole life is a reality TV show.

Burbank grew up living a life that, unbeknownst to him, takes place on a massive set populated by actors for a reality television show about him.

When Truman suspects his life is off, he must decide whether to be passive or fight back.

Jim Carey brings out the best of existential undertones of the movie while using his comedic chops to keep the film adventurous.

The rest of the cast, including standouts Ed Harris, Laura Linney, and Noah Emmerich, brilliantly support the fascinating world of The Truman Show.

The film was nominated for three Oscars and currently is #142 on IMDb’s Top Rated Movies list. It is worth putting on your watch list and will make for an intriguing movie night.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Change Your Bad Habits | Improvement Pill

I’ve featured Improvement Pill in two previous Sunday Supplements. Their channel has just shy of 3 million followers and focuses on teaching practices that can help change your life.

In this video, Improvement Pill focuses on how to change your bad habits. The video starts by discussing a negative habit loop of Internet surfing (Facebook).

The harmful habit gets reinforced by the environment and specific cues. The first step two removing a bad habit is changing your environment and/or eliminating negative cues.

Adding good cues to your routine helps reinforce good habits in your life. And making it harder to indulge in bad habits and easier to indulge in good ones reinforces your determination.

The video gives good examples of positive and negative cues and making it harder or easier to support habits.

Improvement Pill has many short videos with practical strategies for change. Check this one out to see if it’s a channel you’d like to subscribe to.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If the rhythm of the drum beat changes, the dance steps must adapt.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb reminds me that we aren’t always in control of the music around us. If we want to keep up with new dances, we must learn the steps.

New rhythms can help us grow and learn new things. Although, I don’t think we should mindlessly dance to the beat of others either.

I think awareness of the changing beats is vital to conscious action. We can decide how to best move forward when we recognize the music changing.

There are many levels to this African Proverb, and I’m glad for the reflection on being aware of my environment.

Notice the music playing around you, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Tim Ferriss, Moonraker, La Bamba, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Tim Ferriss, Moonraker, La Bamba, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 3, 2022

Sunday Supplement #60 (July 3rd, 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:

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.”

– Tim Ferriss

Book of the Week:

Moonraker – Ian Fleming

James Bond is one of the most famous characters in pop culture. Most know his name from the popular movie series that debuted in the 1960s and continues today.

The movies are based on Ian Fleming’s novels about the British secret agent. Fleming worked in naval intelligence, but his novels depicted a more fanciful story for his main character.

Fleming had an admirable output in his late career as a novelist. He wrote 15 James Bond stories starting in 1952 before his death in 1964.

Moonraker often gets overlooked because of the film’s poor reception. The decision to take the plot to space like other successful space odysseys of the time was one of a few misguided decisions.

The book stays grounded and completely takes place in Britain. It starts with a look into Bond’s daily life before he investigates an ex-British soldier turned millionaire industrialist, Hugo Drax.

Drax works on building Moonraker, a prototype nuclear missile designed to defend England against Cold War threats.

Bond is later brought on to Drax’s staff, and the British secret agent works with undercover Special Branch Officer Gala Brand (whom he doesn’t sleep with) to uncover Drax’s plans.

Moonraker is Fleming’s third novel in the Bond series and arguably the best of the lot. It is a fun read and misses most of the negatives associated with Fleming’s works.

Movie of the Week:

La Bamba

The 1987 film La Bamba is a biographical story of the life and short-lived career of Richard Valenzuela— Ritchie Valens.

La Bamba starts when Valenzuela is 16, living with his mother and younger brother and sisters while working as a farmworker after school.

After Richard’s half-brother Bob returns from prison, the family moves to Southern California using Bob’s money.

The film covers Valenzuela’s family life (his brother’s conflicts in particular), his struggles fitting in the San Fernando Valley, and his rise to fame as Ritchie Valens.

There are many great performances in the film to admire, including Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, and Joe Pantoliano. Phillips shines as Ritchie Valens.

In Sunday Supplement #3, I featured Stand and Deliver as the movie of the week. I discussed the story of how Phillips got the role after almost quitting acting and the imminent fame he would experience after the release of La Bamba.

La Bamba was selected in 2017 to be added to the National Film Registry of the US Library of Congress. It was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and recommended for preservation.

There are many aspects to appreciate, and the overall positivity of the film comes through the story of the pioneer of Chicano rock and Latin rock.

Brainfood of the Week:

6 Habits of Insanely Productive People | The Art of Improvement

I’ve featured The Art of Improvement in three other Sunday Supplements. Their videos focus on helping viewers learn how to better themselves and be more productive.

In this video, the six habits of insanely productive people are starting the day right, controlling time, building buffer time, dealing with procrastination, getting stuff off their plate, and working less to achieve more.

The Art of Improvement breaks down each section and explains with examples and tools to show how to best utilize them.

In starting the day right, the video discusses how most insanely productive people start the day off early with exercise, mediation, or journaling.

For people who don’t love mornings, Hal Elrod of The Miracle Morning offers a method that helps people learn to love mornings. The answer is simply building a custom-made morning routine you would love to wake up to.

Controlling time is essential from the start to the day to help you be productive throughout. Blocking time, batching tasks, and tracking productivity help control time.

These are just brief highlights from two sections of the video. Check it out to get the rest of the information and pick up a few tips on productivity.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Rising early makes the road short.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb reminds me of the benefits of getting to things early. I don’t think it only refers to rising early, but that can be a valuable habit to cultivate too.

To me, rising early in the proverb means rising to the challenge. We can pick whatever challenge we want for ourselves, but meeting it early can make the road seem short.

In middle school, I was surprised when I learned that if I paid attention in school rather than goof off or watch the clock, classes went by faster. Also, when I did my homework right away, I had way more free time later to do what I wanted.

I look back at those realizations and believe they still have truths today. I try to fully immerse in whatever I’m doing, and I try to get things done early.

Doing my personal tasks before I start my work day has been a great way to rise early to my challenges, so I’m not too tired later.

The African proverb has many meanings, and I’m happy I came across it. It’s an excellent reminder for me. I hope you enjoy it too!

Make time to do something you want to do first, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Alphonse Karr, Discipline Equals Freedom, Flight, Eckhart Tolle, and an African Proverb

Alphonse Karr, Discipline Equals Freedom, Flight, Eckhart Tolle, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on February 6, 2022

Sunday Supplement #39 (February 6th, 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:

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”

– Alphonse Karr

Book of the Week:

Discipline Equals Freedom – Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, host of a top-rated podcast, and co-founder of a multimillion-dollar leadership and management company.

Before Willink moved onto these areas in his life, he spent the majority of his adulthood as a Navy SEAL. In Discipline Equals Freedom, he describes the mental and physical disciplines he learned that allowed him to create freedom in his life.

The self-help book is written in a field manual style with short essays on the obstacles of achieving ownership of your life and how to overcome those barriers.

I came across Jocko Willink in a Tim Ferriss podcast episode and didn’t enjoy it much. Years later, I saw him in another interview and heard him talk about how the lessons he learned in recent years and being a father changed many of his attitudes toward things. This reflection made me curious to check out some of his work.

Discipline Equals Freedom might not be for everyone. There are a few elements of the book that I won’t incorporate into my life. However, there were nuggets of wisdom that stuck out brilliantly.

One of the chapters emphasized the power of saying “good” to an initially perceived negative situation so that you can find the positive or the lesson hidden in it. I’m working on including that in my everyday life.

Check Willink out to see if he’s someone you can vibe with, and if so, give his books or his podcast a chance.

Movie of the Week:

Flight

Flight follows an alcoholic airline pilot who saves almost every passenger and crew member on a malfunctioning aircraft destined to crash. A subsequent investigation into the accident beings to question if there was anything amiss with the state of the pilot.

Writer John Gatins worked on the script for ten years before it eventually got made. Denzel Washington starred as the pilot, and Robert Zemeckis expertly directed the movie with a surprisingly low budget of $31 million. Both Washington and Zemeckis took a massive pay cut to get the film made.

The movie received two Academy Award nominations, one for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Washington) and one for Best Writing – Original Screenplay (Gatins). Many good films came out in 2012, but Flight arguably should have received more Oscar recognition.

The film received some criticism for its portrayal of pilots and the physics of flying a plane, but it received many plaudits for its depiction of alcoholism.

Flight is rated R and has some intense scenes, but it tells a remarkable story in an extraordinary way.

Brainfood of the Week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z6WfKS_edY&list=WL&index=61

How Presence Helps You Face Life’s Challenges | Eckhart Tolle

This post marks the fourth time I’ve picked an Eckhart Tolle video for the week’s Sunday Supplement. Check out Sunday Supplement #7 if you want more background on Tolle and a recommendation for a long-form podcast interview with him.

The bestselling self-help author explains the exact benefit of being present when facing life’s challenges in this video.

Tolle discusses how external events can cause challenges, but a greater part of challenges are due to the unobserved mind. Your mind can create a narrative around external circumstances, and much unhappiness is caused by dysfunctional narratives.

When the unobserved mind takes over, you cannot separate what is actually happening from your interpretation of what is happening.

Tolle then discusses the awareness and alertness of being in situations and not judging them. You are just seeing what is happening and accepting it or deciding how you want to respond.

The video wraps up with some examples that show how everyday little challenges can help build your awareness.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Every misfortune is a blessing.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb reminds me of the power of looking for different perspectives after experiencing situations that leave you disappointed, depressed, upset, or lost.

I don’t think emotions should be suppressed, but I believe after we’ve acknowledged our feelings and let them process, we can decide how we view what happened.

On one level, things will always be sad or cruel, but there is always a perspective where you can find a blessing in what happened.

Maybe after loss, it’s having an appreciation for those around you and forming closer bonds with those people. For anger, maybe it’s a chance for letting go. And with disappointment, it could be knowing you did your best the opportunity to try again or for something else.

I don’t always have the composure at the moment to find the blessing in misfortune, and sometimes it takes a while for me to pick myself up. However, quotes like these remind me of the opportunity to find the good in our lives.

Reframe something you perceived as unfavorable, and have a blessed week ahead!

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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 S upplement #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!

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Judy Blume, The Alchemist, V for Vendetta, Freedom in Thought, and an African Proverb

Judy Blume, The Alchemist, V for Vendetta, Freedom in Thought, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on November 14, 2021

Sunday Supplement #27 (November 14th, 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:

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.”

– Judy Blume

Book of the Week:

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist tells the story of a shepherd boy who travels from Spain to Egypt searching for a treasure buried near the pyramids. Santiago quests for his personal legend and meets many different people and challenges along the way. He doesn’t know what the treasure is and pursues many different avenues along his adventure.

There are many lessons that Santiago and the reader learn throughout the journey, and the importance of listening to our hearts is one of the most important.

I won’t spoil too much of the story, but I want to highlight one part from the book in this post. When Santiago makes the first leap into the unknown, he travels to a land where he doesn’t know the language. Santiago gets robbed and becomes stuck without any means to get back to his home country.

What’s incredible about this part of the journey is the reminder of the capacity for humans to land on their feet after falling. It is a lesson that gets repeated throughout the story and is one that we all should remember.

The Alchemist is one of the few books I’ve read multiple times. It always picks me out of a rut when I pick the book back up. I encourage you to give this short novel a read. Let me know what you think!

Movie of the Week:

V for Vendetta

This movie would have been perfect for a 5th of November post, but it is worth watching regardless of the time of year. The film is rated R for a reason and shouldn’t be watched on a whim, but the story, cinematography, and acting are superb.

V for Vendetta is set in a future Britain ruled by tyranny. A freedom fighter disguised behind a Guy Fawkes mask plots to expose and overthrow the government with the help of a young woman. The story is based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. While the movie received some criticism from the fans of the source material, the film on its own is a brilliantly executed motion picture.

The Wachowski’s adapted the graphic novel, and their friend, James McTeigue, directed it. Influence from The Matrix can be seen in the style of the movie. And on the acting side, Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, and John Hurt all give outstanding performances in their respective roles.

It’s worth repeating that the movie’s R rating is warranted. The violence and content of the film are graphic at times, but I believe that content serves a purpose. I don’t agree with some extremes, but that is one of the points in the movie.

V for Vendetta is a movie I recommend with some caution, but its lessons and warnings are captured brilliantly. It currently resides at 170 on IMDB’s Top Rated Movies list.

Brainfood of the Week:

Buddha – Conquer Fear, Become Free — Freedom in Thought

Freedom in Thought is a YouTube channel that breaks down philosophical concepts and explores them through dialogue.

In this video, the concept discussed is based on a quote from the Buddha in the Dhammapada. The Buddha says a wise person is beyond fear, and as a result, is truly free.

The video then uses a Zen story to set up an example that explores the Buddha’s words.

During a Japanese civil war, an army took control of different villages. In one village, everyone fled except for a Zen master. The general went to the temple to get the Zen master to submit to his will. He brought out his sword and said, “Fool, don’t you see? I’m the type of man that can put a sword through you without blinking an eye.” The master calmly replied, “Don’t you see? I’m the type of man who can have a sword put through him without blinking an eye.”

As long as we fear something, we are controlled by that thing. True freedom is to be without fear.

In a dialogue between a monk and a student, the video discusses different facets of fear and how to overcome them. It shows how fear is blinding and controlling. A person who is afraid projects what they are scared of and sees the world through a lens.

The source of fear is our desire to protect ourselves from pain. When we are afraid, we block ourselves from understanding and growth. We must accept pain and fate and focus on our actions and not the outcomes we can’t control.

There are many videos on Freedom in Thought worth exploring. Try this one out to see if it is something that you enjoy.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“The unborn baby that fears criticism will never be born.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb is a great reminder for me and my creative pursuits. At times, I’ve not started a projected or have been tempted not to finish because I thought my idea was terrible. I realize looking back on those times I was just scared of the reception my writing would receive.

I always worked on finishing my projects no matter what, but I wouldn’t always let others see what I wrote. I’ve since worked on removing the barriers I’ve kept up to keep me safe. Every time I put myself out there, regardless of reception, I’ve learned something and grown.

An important lesson from this quote for me is to keep putting myself out there. I want to keep pushing myself to grow and experience new things, knowing that fear can hinder these. and I continue to work on being more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Baby steps helped me move along, but I’m working on taking more incredible leaps and knowing I’ll be okay.

Step outside your comfort zone, and have a blessed week ahead!

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