Tag: Andy Weir

Arthur Ashe, The Martian, Whisper of the Heart, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Arthur Ashe, The Martian, Whisper of the Heart, The Art of Improvement, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 29, 2023

Sunday Supplement #90 (January 29th, 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:

“One important key to success is confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

-Arthur Ashe

Book of the Week:

The Martian – Andy Weir

Andy Weir’s The Martian is probably most recognizable from the 2015 Ridley Scott movie starring Matt Damon.

The screenplay was adapted from Andy Weir’s bestseller about astronaut Mark Watney being left behind on Mars and his fight for survival using his skills and the supplies left to him.

Weir initially published the book in serial format on his website. He had a small following from his previous self-published stories and comics.

When Weir finished the novel, he listed it on Kindle for $.99. The book’s success and the subsequent film allowed him to pursue writing full-time.

I featured the film version of The Martian in Sunday Supplement #7. If you’re interested, I go into greater detail in the post about the movie and why I love the story.

Movie of the Week:

Whisper of the Heart

Studio Ghibli is one of the top animation companies in the movie business. Their films have been continuously recognized by critics and audiences over the years.

While Studio Ghibli’s most famous films often feature a significant setting or background of fantasy, Whisper of the Heart is one of their more grounded films.

The film is based on a manga and follows Shizuku, a young girl who’s an avid reader and wants to be a writer. One day she notices all of her books have been previously taken out by the same boy, and she attempts to find that boy while she navigates her own journey.

There are many lessons from this film, and one of the things I value in Studio Ghibli’s films is that the female characters aren’t solely relying/focused on male counterparts.

I’ve featured Studio Ghibli movies in six previous Sunday Supplement. I highly recommend all their films. Check out the other posts if you want to see more of their catalog.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Plan Your Week Effectively | The Art of Improvement

In this video, The Art of Improvement breaks down Ryder Carroll’s celebrated book, The Bullet Journal Method.

The principles explained in the video can aid your current planning systems or help you create new ones to maximize how you want to use your days.

An example of one of the tips highlighted in the video is taking a mental inventory of anything and everything you want to accomplish.

This exercise helps combat decision fatigue when we have too many choices of how to spend our time and no organization around what we want to accomplish.

Check out the video if you want to hear the other tips. I’ve also featured The Art of Improvement in previous Sunday Supplements if you want more recommendations.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who doesn’t know where he is going doesn’t know whether or when he will arrive.”

– African Proverb

At first, I thought this proverb was pretty straightforward. Preparing a road map of where you want to go is vital to know if you have arrived.

However, I thought more about the wording of when in the proverb. I thought about how I’ve set goals in the past but haven’t always given myself a timeline for them.

This proverb reminds me of the importance of setting a course and giving yourself a timeline.

That doesn’t mean you have to achieve the goal by that time, but it allows you to check in and see if you need to make any alterations to your plan.

Prepare how you want your life to be, work on those plans, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Simone de Beauvoir, Project Hail Mary, Apollo 13, The Locus Rule, and Surah Ar-Rahman 60

Simone de Beauvoir, Project Hail Mary, Apollo 13, The Locus Rule, and Surah Ar-Rahman 60

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 22, 2022

Sunday Supplement #54 (May 22nd, 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:

“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”

– Simone de Beauvoir

Book of the Week:

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

In Sunday Supplement #7, I featured the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s book The Martian. Weir originally wrote the book one chapter at a time on his blog.

After completing the serial novel, some of Weir’s loyal readers asked him to self-publish the book on Kindle. He did, and the book went to #1 in science fiction.

Major publishers, Hollywood agents, and producers came knocking to pick up The Martian a few weeks later.

Andy Weir’s third novel, Project Hail Mary, is my favorite book that he’s written so far.

The book follows Ryland Grace, an 8th science teacher who had a previous life in academia as a leading thinker on microbiology.

At the start of the novel, Grace doesn’t know anything about his past life. He wakes up on a spaceship with severe amnesia on a last-chance mission to save humanity.

Grace’s fellow crew did not survive the induced sleep. While his memories fuzzily return, Grace realizes the enormity of his task.

Everyone on Earth is counting on him, even if he doesn’t remember why at the moment.

Grace must save the Earth from an extinction-level event and might have a chance, thanks to an unexpected ally.

Movie of the Week:

Apollo 13

I have a list of movies to watch when I feel in a rut, and Apollo 13 makes the list. Themes like patience and perseverance stick out, but the story offers much more that resonates with me.

The Ron Howard film tells the story of the Apollo 13 space mission.

NASA and the mission crew must devise a strategy to return the spacecraft to Earth after the spacecraft undergoes massive damage that threatens the lives of the astronauts.

Tom Hanks stars as crew leader Jim Lovell, with crewmates played by Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon.

While they work to solve the problem in space, Ed Harris, as flight director Gene Kranz, leads mission control at NASA.

Supporting roles from Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan, and Jean Speegle Howard brilliantly round out the cast.

The Apollo 13 mission started as the third human-crewed mission meant to land on the moon. The news dumped it as something inconsequential until the potentially fatal setback.

Many great films came out in 1995 for the 68th Academy Awards, and I’m surprised Apollo 13 only won two: Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

The film is still one of my favorites, though, and holds up today as a worthy movie to have on your watch list.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Stay Motivated | The Locus Rule

The beginning of this video highlights a study done by Claudia M. Mueller at Columbia University in 1998.

Mueller took groups of 5th graders and had them work on numerous puzzles by themselves.

Regardless of how the children did, they were told they performed well and performed better than most other kids.

Half of the kids were told they scored high because they worked hard, while the other half were told it was because they were intelligent and gifted.

The video discusses the results of a second round of testing and then delves into the concept of the locus of control— the degree to which you believe you have control over your life.

An external locus of control leads to thinking that you can’t control the outcomes around you. You can fall into the trap of feeling like nothing you do matters and stop trying.

Studies on the locus of control have found that having an internal locus of control is the key to staying motivated.

The video then gives the example of solving problems in your own life to help develop an internal locus of control. By fixing minor issues, you see your actions directly impact your life.

The YouTube channel Improvement Pill designed the video. Their videos are meant to inspire, motivate, or teach something that can change your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Is there any reward for good other than good?”

– Surah Ar-Rahman 60

This quote from the Quran reminds me of how to gauge my experiences when I’m interacting with people and my goals.

I believe that when we become focused on an outcome as the only reason for taking action, we will end up unhappy.

A quick example is when you let someone in front of you on the road, and the person doesn’t even bother to give you a little wave.

When I feel frustrated, I try to pause to figure out what’s behind the emotion. Sometimes an irritation just needs to pass, but if I did the action for a reward, I know I’m not in a good place.

This quote and the situations where outcomes are put above the actions remind me of the locus of control.

If I’m doing something good, the outcome might have a temporary letdown if it didn’t go to plan. However, I’m happy that I did the action and know I came from a good place.

Take action on something you want to do, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Benjamin Franklin, The Courage to Be Disliked, The Martian, Eckhart Tolle, and The Four Immeasurables

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 27, 2021

Sunday Supplement #7 (June 27th, 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 this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

– Benjamin Franklin

This Benjamin Franklin quote is a good reminder that investing in yourself is one of the wisest decisions you can make.

I can be a little tight with money at times, and I want to cultivate a healthier and more positive relationship with my finances. I’ve incorporated asking myself if a purchase will help me grow to gauge whether or not I should buy it. Another method I picked up from Tim Ferriss is to ask myself, 1 out of 10, if the purchase will be something I enjoy short-term and long-term. No 6’s! It makes things a lot clearer.

Book of the Week:

The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga

Most people know about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Both are dubbed by many as the fathers of Western psychology. The Courage to Be Disliked focuses on Alfred Adler, who was a contemporary with Freud and Jung but isn’t as widely known. Adler was one of the first peers to split from Freud and was the founder of the school of individual psychology.

Kishimi and Koga base their book on the work of Adler. It is written in a captivating style of discussion between a teacher and a student. They use the Socratic method of dialogue to convey the teachings of Adler. The text focuses on how you can free yourself from past identities and limitations and how to embrace change.

The Courage to Be Disliked was a phenomenon in Japan and has been translated into multiple languages, including English. The book is a short read that flows by effortlessly. It is a fascinating read and is worth checking out.

I’m looking forward to reading their follow-up, The Courage to Be Happy.

Movie of the Week:

The Martian

Astronaut, Mark Watney, is left behind on Mars during an emergency evacuation after his crew assumes him dead. He uses his skills and the supplies left to him to try and survive years in a scenario that was only supposed to last a couple of months. While battling with his situation and the elements to stay alive, Watney has to find a way to contact Earth and come up with a plan to make it home.

The Martian was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay. Matt Damon put in one of his best performances and was critical to the film’s success because of his immense presence on the screen. Ridley Scott directed the movie and used his vast experience to orchestrate all the components necessary for the final product. He had a run of poorly received films after American Gangster (2007), but he reminded critics and movie-goers of his talents behind the camera with 2015’s The Martian.

Drew Goddard adapted the screenplay from Andy Weir’s debut novel. Weir initially published the book in serial format, one chapter at a time on his website. He had a decent following from work he posted on his website, but his writing was a hobby at the time. Readers asked him to make The Martian available on Kindle, so Weir put it up for 99 cents. It quickly became a best-seller, and he later sold the rights to Crown Publishing Group. The success from the book and the movie allowed him to pursue writing full-time. His latest novel Project Hail Mary was released in May.

The Martian is one of my favorite feel-good movies. It has an excellent story and is visually stunning. The performances from all that were involved are wonderful. It is a fun film and one that should leave you smiling by the time the credits roll.

*The backstory on Andy Weir’s writing of The Martian is from a Q&A included on the Kindle version of The Martian.

Brainfood of the Week:

Russell Brand’s interview with Eckhart Tolle on his podcast Under the Skin.

I’ve already discussed Russell Brand in my 2nd Sunday Supplement, so I’ll go right into a brief description for Eckhart Tolle.

Tolle is a spiritual teacher, public speaker, and best-selling author. His biggest endorsement probably comes from Oprah Winfrey. In 2008, she hosted a 10 episode web-series with Tolle based on his book, A New Earth. In a 2017 interview with him, she stated that what she learned from him “eliminated all stress from her life.”

Tolle has many other celebrity endorsements, but that isn’t always a positive for me. There are many celebrity-backed products that I don’t support and wouldn’t recommend to others. However, I’m glad that Tolle’s work has been highlighted by many.

In the podcast with Russell Brand, you get an idea of the kind of material Tolle teaches in his books. The interview is an enlightening discussion and one that made me a fan of Brand’s podcast. My issue with most interviews and podcasts is the host interrupting the guest. Brand gives great prompts to Tolle and lets him answer questions without interference. If you like the interview and want to check out more of Tolle’s work, I suggest checking out his YouTube page and his book The Power of Now.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

The Four Immeasurables – Buddhist Prayer

May everyone be happy,
May everyone be free from misery,
May no one ever be separated from their happiness,
May everyone have equanimity, free from hatred and attachment.

The Four Immeasurables are a series of virtues in Buddhism. They are closely linked to meditation practices and are discussed in various Buddhist texts. The four virtues can be translated as— Loving-kindness, Compassion, Empathetic Joy, and Equanimity.

I’ve incorporated a mediation practice into my daily routine. It is something that helps me slow things down and puts me in a calm state. I do a little gratitude exercise before or after my meditation, which helps make positivity a habit. The difference in my days when I’m meditating vs. not meditating is why I’ve worked to make meditating a non-negotiable.

The above prayer is one I’ve been reflecting on lately. I encourage you to look into it and see the different variations and what they mean. It is a worthwhile exercise.

Have a blessed week ahead!

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