Tag: Chinese Proverb

John Wooden, In the Woods, Warrior, TED-Ed, and a Chinese Proverb

John Wooden, In the Woods, Warrior, TED-Ed, and a Chinese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on November 10, 2024

Sunday Supplement #183 (November 10th, 2024)

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’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

– John Wooden

Book of the Week:

In the Woods – Tana French

Tana French’s debut novel In the Woods won several awards, including the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author.

French is an American-Irish writer, theatrical actress, and longtime resident of Ireland. Her Dublin Murder Squad series, which started with In the Woods, features two Irish Detectives.

In the Woods follows Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox. Ryan keeps a terrifying childhood incident a secret but finds himself assigned to a case where a 12-year-old girl was found murdered in the same woods of his childhood incident.

French’s writing is gripping, and the story is a well-crafted mystery/thriller. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy the genre.

Movie of the Week:

Warrior

Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior tells the story of the youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer, who returns home to be trained by his father for a mixed martial arts tournament. This tournament puts the younger son on course to face off with his estranged older brother.

Tom Hardy plays the younger son, Joel Edgerton plays the older brother, and Nick Nolte plays the father. Nolte was nominated for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

I believe the movie didn’t do as well as it should have because of the marketing campaign and trailers. It failed to show the depth of each character and their journeys in the film.

This movie has much to appreciate, including a tight script and brilliant performances. If it piques your interest, check it out.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Overcome Your Mistakes | TED-Ed

This TED-Ed video starts by highlighting a 2019 study that invited participants to learn a mysterious invented language.

The study’s findings showed that the participants who were arbitrarily categorized as failures had a hard time doing better in the next phase of the study.

The video explains how we can avoid situations that will negatively affect our self-confidence, potentially cause pain, and make us feel demoralized or incompetent, causing our brains to stop processing new information.

At the end of the video, one of the guiding points for overcoming your mistakes is to be mindful of your self-talk.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.”

– Chinese Proverb

This Chinese proverb reminds me of the power of practice and how any success worth achieving requires effort.

When I discovered self-improvement books, I finally understood how studying things you were interested in made learning fun.

However, if you want to learn something new, you have to be okay with failure. You have to be okay with putting in the practice, which will eventually allow you to find success.

Learn to have fun failing, move forward, and have a blessed week ahead!

Drew Houston, Congo, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Tony Robbins, and a Chinese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 29, 2024

Sunday Supplement #177 (September 29th, 2024)

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:

“Instead of trying to make your life perfect, give yourself the freedom to make it an adventure, and go ever upward.”

– Drew Houston

Book of the Week:

Congo – Michael Crichton

An expedition into the African rainforest near the Lost City of Zinj results in the mysterious and brutal killing of a team of American geologists.

In San Francisco, a primatologist works with Amy, a gorilla with a vocabulary of 620 signs. When Amy’s paintings resemble a Portuguese print from 1692, the Congo Project supervisor notices and prompts another expedition to the Lost City of Zinj.

Michael Crichton was a prolific writer. He wrote 28 novels, selling over 200 million copies, and wrote and directed a few films. He also created the celebrated show ER.

I’ve found most of Crichton’s work to be the epitome of embarking on a literary adventure. His bibliography is well worth exploring. I’ve featured Crichton’s work in one other Sunday Supplement, #134.

Movie of the Week:

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s written and directed feature debut follows Zak, a man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler.

Zak later meets up with an outlaw, who becomes his friend and coach. The two continue on their journey while attempting to avoid the people pursuing them.

The film has brilliant performances, including those from Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church, Jon Bernthal, and John Hawkes.

I’m surprised The Peanut Butter Falcon wasn’t recognized by more major festivals, but it is definitely a film worth watching.

Brainfood of the Week:

Tony Robbins | The Tim Ferriss Show

This interview from Tim Terriss’ podcast is almost nine years old, but it still packs incredible wisdom from world-famous performance coach Tony Robbins.

Tony Robbins is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and leading life and business strategist. I have featured him and his books in a few previous Sunday Supplements.

In this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Tony discusses his morning routine, diet, how he works with high-performing athletes and traders, common misconceptions about him, and much more.

This is part one of the interview. Here is the link to part 2. If you enjoy the content, check out Robbins’s work and more episodes of The Tim Ferriss Show.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“One learns more from traveling ten thousand miles than from reading ten thousand scrolls.”

– Chinese Proverb

This Chinese proverb is an excellent reminder to continue adventuring in life and not to succumb to inaction over action.

I find over-preparation an easy trap to fall into, as opposed to trusting your ability to land on your feet after taking a leap.

In modern society, so many different mediums vie for our attention and time that we can slip into vicarious living through media or reading.

Studying and preparation have their time and place, but learning from action over inaction should always weigh heavier on the scales of life.

Continue to adventure in your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Kristin Armstrong, Gone Baby Gone, True Detective, Headspace, and a Chinese Proverb

Kristin Armstrong, Gone Baby Gone, True Detective, Headspace, and a Chinese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 23, 2024

Sunday Supplement #163 (June 23rd, 2024)

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:

“It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.”

– Kristin Armstrong

Book of the Week:

Gone, Baby, Gone – Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane is an award-winning, best-selling novelist and screenwriter. His works include Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Black Bird.

Gone, Baby, Gone might be more well known to film lovers as the 2007 film directed by Ben Affleck starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, and Morgan Freeman. However, I found the novel’s world much more richly constructed, despite enjoying the film.

The novel is the fourth in his series featuring Boston private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. I highly recommend the series, but reading them in order is not strictly necessary.

Gone, Baby, Gone follows Kenzie and Gennaro’s attempts to investigate the case of a missing child despite some reluctance from the girls’ uncle.

Lehane’s prose is gripping, and his storytelling raises issues that will leave you remembering the characters and their dilemmas long after you read about them.

Movie of the Week:

True Detective (Season 1)

I rarely deviate from the movie of the week recommendation. The only times I haven’t recommended a movie were for Sunday Supplement #14 and Sunday Supplement #153, and #153 was a Broadway recording.

I stick with movies because I find them a better medium for storytelling. I love miniseries, but television series can wander after their first seasons. I’d rather give a recommendation for a movie, which is a small ask, than a larger one for a show.

True Detective somewhat breaks the mold, but I’m keeping my recommendation to the first standalone season.

The show stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. It takes place in Louisiana over 17 years and follows two detectives in their pursuit of a serial killer with occult links. I haven’t seen the other seasons, but the first is some of the best television I’ve ever watched.

Brainfood of the Week:

Headspace | Meditation | Changing Perspective

Headspace is a content provider that teaches about meditation and offers guided meditations. It has over 70 million subscribers in more than 190 countries.

In this video, Headspace provides an excellent example of how we can let passing thoughts dominate our perspectives.

This video is only a minute long, and it’s worth taking a brief moment out of your day to give it a watch.

I’ve featured an intention-setting guide and meditation from Headspace in Sunday Supplement #41. Check it out if you enjoyed this short video.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey. He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived.”

– Chinese Proverb

I first saw this Chinese Proverb posted on Jan Grobler’s page. Grobler is a Life & Transformation Coach, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, Psychological Kinesiologist, and Teacher. I featured his book in Sunday Supplement #76.

The proverb reminded me of the times I would blame others or situations outside myself as the reason for the results of my actions.

Another attractive path was to look at myself and blame myself for the results. I liked putting the responsibility in my hands.

This proverb reminds me that you can still take responsibility for your actions without placing unnecessary blame. For me, this is best represented by being present.

Try to let go of your usual judgments, be aware of your thoughts, look at different perspectives, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Mahatma Gandhi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Intouchables, Einzelgänger, and a Chinese Proverb

Mahatma Gandhi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Intouchables, Einzelgänger, and a Chinese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 5, 2023

Sunday Supplement #95 (March 5th, 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:

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Book of the Week:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated in the first-person from the perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who investigates the death of a neighbor’s dog.

Christopher is described as a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties. The book refers to Asperger syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder today.

Haddon’s novel is a thought-provoking exploration of being observed as an outsider and seeing the world differently.

Christopher’s journey in the novel goes beyond the mystery of the neighbor’s dog and has a powerful story worthy of its praise and awards.

The novel is considered Haddon’s first novel published for adults. It also has an edition meant for children.

Movie of the Week:

The Intouchables

A young man, recently released from prison, is challenged by a wealthy quadriplegic man to become his caregiver.

This French film has a simple premise, but the characters bring out the best of this wonderful and heartfelt story.

François Cluzet and Omar Sy star as the wealthy aristocrat and the young man, but the supporting cast of Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, and Grégoire Oestermann make the most of every scene they are in.

There is an American remake with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. I haven’t seen it, but when a foreign film is remade for America, I think it signals that the original is worth seeing.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Less You Seek, The More You’ll Find | The Happiness Paradox | Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger’s video starts with an example of how trying to reject negative mental spaces often makes things worse.

If you try to chase happiness directly, you often find it escapes your grasp. Conversely, if you stop searching, you might find it more easily.

Einzelgänger explores The Happiness Paradox in depth in his 12-minute video. He goes over philosophers’ perspectives as well as recent scientific studies.

The video goes over how The Happiness Paradox works, gives examples of research into the paradox, and provides alternative strategies for living with meaning.

I’ve featured Einzelgänger’s channel in previous Sunday Supplements. If you enjoy the content, check out the other videos I’ve posted or his channel on YouTube.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“A person without a smiling face must not open a shop.”

– Chinese Proverb

This Chinese Proverb has a surface-level interpretation and one that prompts me to think much deeper about my engagement with others.

On the surface, the proverb explains how a business will likely perform poorly if the person behind the counter doesn’t have a smile.

Customers might not want to engage with a standoffish or frowning business owner. However, the deeper thought behind the proverb makes me think about how my demeanor affects my engagement with others.

I don’t think you should pretend to be happy all the time, but I think being closed off can prevent or discourage others from reaching out.

Try to welcome others in your life with a smile, and have a blessed week ahead!

16 Comments

Robert Anthony, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, The Banker, Brené Brown, and a Chinese Proverb

Robert Anthony, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, The Banker, Brené Brown, and a Chinese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 20, 2022

Sunday Supplement #45 (March 20th, 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:

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”

– Robert Anthony

Book of the Week:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson

You might have seen this book with the bright orange cover at Barnes and Noble. I walked by it, thinking the title was terrible, but it eventually was gifted to me, so I read it.

While there are some messages in the book that I don’t wholeheartedly agree with or think were presented in the best way, there is much wisdom in its pages.

There are many lessons in the book centered around finding the things you want to do, even with the challenges that come with them.

Manson calls out much coddling that happens in modern times and questions the readers on what they are willing to learn about themselves while being brutally honest about the results.

Once we stop running away from self-knowledge and start confronting truths about the situations we find ourselves in, we can move forward with courage, perseverance, responsibility, and curiosity.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck has spent over 244 weeks on the New York Times Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list. It’s worth checking out.

Movie of the Week:

The Banker

Inspired by true events, The Banker tells the story of entrepreneur Bernard Garrett as he becomes one of the first wealthy African American entrepreneurs in the United States.

Garrett was born in Willis, Texas, and later moved to California, where he started to amass a fortune in real estate.

Because of racism in America, Garrett and his partner Joe Morris worked with a working-class white man, Matt Steiner, who pretended to be their business head.

Anthony Mackie stars as Bernard Garrett, with Samuel L. Jackson brilliantly supporting as Joe Morris. Nicolas Hoult also holds his own as Matt Steiner, and Nia Long adds a significant presence as Eunice Garrett.

The Banker received negative press after the sexual allegations against Bernard Garrett’s son and didn’t make much of an impact upon its release.

The film about Bernard Garrett Sr is well-done and tells a story worth seeing and knowing.

Brainfood of the Week:

Brené Brown on Blame

I’ve featured Brené Brown in two previous Sunday Supplements. She is the author of six number-one New York Times bestsellers and is an expert on vulnerability, courage, and empathy.

This video is an RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce) YouTube clip of Brown talking about what happens when we blame others.

In the animated video, Brown tells a story about her spilling a cup of coffee in the morning and how she immediately blamed her husband.

Her mind created a narrative of how her husband’s actions from the previous night resulted in her spilling the coffee in the morning.

Brown then breaks down the story and uses it to explain the components of blame. Usually, the first thing we want to know is who’s fault something is.

People might even want it to be their fault rather than it being no one’s fault. This thought process gives us some semblance of control.

However, Brown explains how blaming is the discharging of discomfort and pain. There is an inverse relationship with accountability.

While accountability brings vulnerability, where we are willing to reveal how we feel and listen to others’ experience events, blame engages judgment through anger while shutting out other narratives.

When we blame, we miss opportunities for empathy.

The full video is only three minutes long and a good sample of the work of Brené Brown. And RSA’s YouTube page has many other brilliant clips sharing knowledge with over 100 million views.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey. He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived.”

– Chinese Proverb

This Chinese proverb exemplifies one of the most important lessons I’ve learned and try to remember whenever I encounter frustration.

Many different wisdom traditions, religions, and cultures have a similar saying or quote to emphasize the importance of seeing things clearly.

When anything happens, we usually craft a narrative around the event. That story we tell ourselves is our perceptions of events and typically triggers our reaction or response.

The Chinese proverb reminds me how crucial it is not to attribute blame. Our narratives are in our own hands, and we decide how to move forward.

Rarely do people try to make mistakes, and blame is an action that doesn’t help anyone. Putting that emotion on yourself or others takes up energy that could be used fruitfully in other ways. That shift in energy takes the past away and shapes your future.

Leave blame behind, think of what you should do next, and have a blessed week ahead!

8 Comments