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Tag: Ken Follett

Ray Bradbury, The Century Trilogy, Office Space, Steve Jobs, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #142 (January 28th, 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:

“I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”

– Ray Bradbury

Book of the Week:

The Century Trilogy – Ken Follett

The historical epics Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity comprise Ken Follett’s #1 New York Times bestselling The Century Trilogy.

Follett’s novels follow five families (Welsh, English, American, German, and Russian) and their fortunes through the 20th century.

I’m a big fan of Follett’s work, and you can expect a well-crafted and researched story when you pick up one of his historical epics.

I featured his The Pillars of the Earth novel in Sunday Supplement #47, where he decided to break free from his thrilled typecast and write the historical epic he always wanted.

Follett has since delved deep into the veins of the historical fiction genre with many epic books since then. The Century Trilogy is one of his best works.

Movie of the Week:

Office Space

Emmy-winner Mike Judge, creator of Silicon Valley, Beavis and Butt-Head, and King of the Hill, wrote and directed the 1999 cult classic Office Space.

Office Space follows the plan of three workers who hate their jobs as they decide to rebel against the company.

The cast is an all-star ensemble that includes Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Ajay Naidu, David Herman, Gary Cole, and John C. McGinley.

Judge’s Office Space brilliantly and hilariously captures some of the tedious and baffling idiosyncrasies of a workplace.

There’s a positive message at the end of searching for work that fulfills you in some fashion. I recommend it for those looking for a lighthearted comedy.

Brainfood of the Week:

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address | Stanford

Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation, gave the Commencement Address at Stanford’s 2005 graduation. He told three stories from his life.

The first story was about connecting the dots. Jobs recounted his experience with college, dropping out, attending the classes he wanted, and later seeing the dots connect.

Jobs’ second story was about love and loss. He talks about his time at Apple, getting fired, and relationships.

The last story was about death. Jobs would wake up and ask himself, “If today were the last day in my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today.” He knew he needed to change something if the answer was “no” for too many days in a row.

The commencement speech is just over 15 minutes, but it is worth the time from your day. Give it a watch if you get the urge.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“You cannot work for food when there is no food for work.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb reminds me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Physiological needs, such as food, water, shelter, and sleep, are at the bottom of the pyramid.

On the next level of the pyramid are safety and security needs: health, employment, property, and social ability.

Love and Belonging with friendship, family, intimacy, and a sense of connection are on the next tier, with Self-Esteem (confidence, achievement, individuality, respect) above that.

The top of the pyramid is Self-Actualization, where we experience purpose, meaning, creativity, etc. This African proverb speaks to the necessity of having a base level of sustenance to be able to achieve more.

Make sure you’re meeting your base needs, work on the things that give meaning to your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Victor Kiam, The Pillars of the Earth, Moneyball, Jim Rohn, and Surah Al-Qasas 28:54

Sunday Supplement #47 (April 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:

“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”

– Victor Kiam

Book of the Week:

The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett

Ken Follett found success as an author in the spy thriller genre. He gradually built his career over the course of a few years in the mid-1970s before becoming an international bestseller.

After a decade of building up his name in the spy thriller genre, Follett wanted to write an epic historical fiction novel.

The Pillars of the Earth focuses on the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England, set in the 12th century. It follows a monk and a man’s dream of building the greatest cathedral in the world.

While the main focus is on the characters involved with Kingsbridge, the novel’s backdrop is the war of succession in English history known as the Anarchy.

Follett brilliantly crafted a story that weaved in fictional characters with a fascinating point in English history. He also captured the development of Gothic architecture from Romanesque architecture with the construction of the church.

After solely writing and having great success in the spy thriller genre, Follett’s venture into an almost thousand-page historical epic was a risky move.

The Pillars of the Earth has sold more the 25 million copies, so it’s safe to say Follett’s bold move worked. 

Movie of the Week:

Moneyball

The trues story around Moneyball is a fascinating insight into the technological evolution involved in sports.

Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane looked to statistical analysis promoted by Paul DePodesta (Peter Brand in the film) to assemble a competitive team with limited funds.

The movie follows the Athletics’ 2002 season as Beane and Brand look to overturn baseball’s history of scouting by making decisions based on statistical models.

Brad Pitt stars as Beane, and Jonah Hill steps up in one of his first dramatic roles as Brand. Both performances are supported by the brilliant script from Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian.

The film received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Pitt, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Hill.

While the movie’s description may suggest that you have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it, the story has enough quality for an enjoyable watch regardless of allegiances.

Brainfood of the Week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucfKhVftN6Y

Success Requires Patience and Persistence | Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was a businessman whose success ultimately led to others asking him to speak at events or hold seminars. 

Rohn then went on to develop his self-development business. In Sunday Supplement #30, I featured a Tony Robbins book. Robbins’ teacher was Jim Rohn.

This video is presented by the YouTube channel Motivational Stories. They aim to share lessons taught by great men and women in the form of small digestible videos.

In this clip, Jim Rohn discusses two qualities that can increase your chances of success: patience and persistence.

He describes patience as learning to handle the passing of time. It takes time to accomplish many great things, and it also takes time to change yourself.

Rohn highlights the importance of going easy on yourself as you make your journey in life. He states that lack of patience is the worst enemy of ambition.

In the video, Rohn then explains the key pointers in patience and persistence. He finishes the speech by saying the greatest gift you can give to yourself and others is personal development.

Check out the video and see if any of the information calls to you. It’s worth taking a look.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Those will be given their reward twice for what they patiently endured.”

– Surah Al-Qasas 28:54

This passage from the Quran reminds me of how there are always different ways to learn from any situation.

On the surface, I know that when you’ve worked hard to achieve something and finally reach that goal, the bliss from getting there can be even greater, knowing the process you endured.

However, I find an even greater benefit from looking back at your work and seeing that you got there in the end.

The lesson I take from this is knowing that things work out and the dots will connect when you look back. 

After seeing this, I can move forward and know that I will get to the destination as long as I put one foot in front of the other.

Keep moving forward on your journey, and have a blessed week ahead!

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