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John F. Kennedy, The Stand, John Q, Deepak Chopra, and an African Proverb

John F. Kennedy, The Stand, John Q, Deepak Chopra, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 30, 2022

Sunday Supplement #77 (October 30th, 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:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

– John F. Kennedy

Book of the Week:

The Stand – Stephen King

I’ve featured Stephen King many times in previous Sunday Supplements. I figured a Halloween weekend post was a good excuse to feature my favorite author again.

King’s The Stand depicts a world as it falls to a deadly virus leading to a post-apocalyptic world that becomes divided by the good and evil people who remain.

The Stand received much attention during the pandemic, but much of that publicity focused on the McGuffin of the book (the virus) rather than the heart of the novel.

Themes like the power of community, transition, and vices are brilliantly explored in the massive 1000+ page novel.

I’ve read almost 50 excellent Stephen King books, but The Stand has always been toward the top of the list. It has also been on many more prestigious best books of all time lists like Rolling Stone, Time, Amazon, and BBC. 

Movie of the Week:

John Q

Getting away from the Halloween weekend excuse from the previous recommendation is this entry of Nick Cassavetes’s John Q.

While Cassavetes’s most famous film is probably The Notebook, John Q deserves more recognition for the handling of a challenging story.

The James Kearns screenplay shows a father, John Quincy Archibald, making the decision to hold a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant.

Denzel Washington puts in a masterclass performance as John Quincy Archibald. His acting carries the film and has the audience on his side as he tries to save his son.

John Q might not be the best film I’ve recommended, but the movie is worth a watch, especially for the acting of Washington.

Brainfood of the Week:

10 Min Meditation – Gratitude – Daily Guided Meditation by Deepak Chopra

The video here is pretty self-explanatory by the title. Deepak Chopra leads a ten-minute guided meditation around gratitude.

Deepak Chopra is the founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit for research on well-being and humanitarianism.

He has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, has been featured by Oprah Winfrey, and was described by Time magazine as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

In this guided meditation, Chopra brings you into the present moment and cultivates a meditative state around gratitude opening the door to abundance.

I featured two other meditation videos in Sunday Supplement #31 and Sunday Supplement #41. Check them out if you want some other recommendations!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author.”

– African Proverb

I started this post with a quote highlighting the importance of following through on words of gratitude, and this African Proverb reminds me of how detrimental ingratitude can be.

For me, gratitude is one of the best ways to fill your cup daily. Having a ritual around feeling and expressing thanks for the blessings in your life keeps your attention on the good in life.

False or insincere gratitude can be a slippery slope to emptiness and ingratitude. 

Ingratitude leaves a person feeling many negative emotions that ultimately can turn the head down a path where all you see is darkness.

While there is much evil in the world, you get to choose the attitude you put forth each moment.

Express your gratitude through your actions, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Sri Ravi Shankar, Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way, Before Sunrise, Psych2Go, and Dhammapada 33

Sri Ravi Shankar, Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way, Before Sunrise, Psych2Go, and Dhammapada 33

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 23, 2022

Sunday Supplement #76 (October 23rd, 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:

“Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have.”

– Sri Ravi Shankar

Book of the Week:

Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way – Jan Grobler

Jan Grobler is a Life & Transformation Coach, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, Psychological Kinesiologist, and Teacher.

Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way contains the lessons Grobler learned along his journey that helped him heal his past trauma and obtain freedom to move forward.

The book is divided into three parts: How We End Up in Our Own Way, Cutting the Key to Your Freedom, and Be & Stay in the Driver’s Seat of Your Life.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the combination of wisdom the text provided and the prompts in the book to help you take actionable steps forward in your life.

Get the Hell Out of Your Own Way is an engaging read that leaves you with many gems to bring into your life.

Movie of the Week:

Before Sunrise

I’ve only seen the first film in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, but it’s a movie I find myself thinking about long after I’ve seen it.

The story follows a young man and woman as they meet on a train in Europe and spend one evening together in Vienna.

Most of the movie focuses on the dialogue between the two characters as they explore their contrasting ideas and perspectives on life and love.

Before Sunrise premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and grossed $22.5 million from a $2.5 million budget.

The movie is an intriguing watch for its exploration of postmodern views on love and appears on many watch lists with favorable reviews from critics.

Brainfood of the Week:

6 Signs Your Burnt Out, Not Lazy | Psych2Go

Psych2Go’s mission is to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. Their YouTube page has just shy of 10 million followers.

This Psych2Go video defines burnout as a negative state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive stress and the inability to cope with it.

There are many overlaps between laziness and burnout, and it’s important to know the difference to recognize early signs.

Psycho2Go’s video is not a substitute for professional advice, but it is a good source of general education.

I’ve featured Psycho2Go before in Sunday Supplement #66 and recommend checking out their channel.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft, even so, the discerning man straightens his mind— so fickle and unsteady, so difficult to guard.”

– Dhammapada 33

This verse from the Dhammapada reminds me of the constant task of attending to our minds.

I think of moments in my past when I’ve been happy with where I’m at but didn’t continue on the path of reflection and improvement.

The Dhammapada passage points out how the mind can be fickle, unsteady, and difficult to guard. It requires constant work.

The example reminds me of the necessity for continuing to exercise if you want to stay in shape. You can’t stop once you reach a certain point and expect to stay in shape.

Make tweaks to the arrow of your life to improve its flight, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Mary Halloway, The Mastery of Love, Groundhog Day, TED-Ed, and Galatians 6:9

Mary Halloway, The Mastery of Love, Groundhog Day, TED-Ed, and Galatians 6:9

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 16, 2022

Sunday Supplement #75 (October 16th, 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:

“Resilience is knowing that you are the only one with the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.”

– Mary Halloway

Book of the Week:

The Mastery of Love – Don Miguel Ruiz

Don Miguel Ruiz was born to parents who belonged to the Toltecs of Mexico. He chose to follow a different path than his ancestors and decided to become a surgeon.

However, after a near-death experience, Ruiz devoted himself to mastery of the ancient ancestral wisdom of the Toltecs and later passed on what he learned.

In The Mastery of Love, Ruiz highlights assumptions and fear-based beliefs that lead to suffering in relationships and undermine love.

The book shows how we can heal from the ill practices and traumas that affect our relationships so we can return to loving ourselves and loving others.

Ruiz’s books have been on the New York Times’s bestsellers list for over a decade. In Sunday Supplement #38, I featured his book, The Four Agreements.

Movie of the Week:

Groundhog Day

Harold Ramis’s film follows a narcissistic weatherman who finds himself stuck in a time loop on Groundhog Day, fated to keep repeating the same day.

The 1993 movie stars Bill Murray as weatherman Phil, Andie MacDowell as producer Rita, and Chris Elliott as cameraman Larry.

The three travel to Punxsutawney for the annual coverage of the Groundhog Day festivities but cannot leave the same day after a blizzard hits.

As Phil continues to wake up on the same day, aware he is destined to repeat that day continuously, he goes through an existential journey.

Groundhog Day has a brilliantly comedic script, but the core of the story is grounded in meaningful themes that help it rise above a simple movie just for laughs.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure – Noa Kageyama & Pen-Pen Chen | TED-Ed

The video discusses different experiences of succumbing to pressure and starts with the distraction theory, suggesting performance suffers when losing focus on the task at hand.

We can get caught up with the precise details of our actions, worry about our performance, and lose sight of the goal.

Kageyama and Chen then highlight performance tips: practicing under pressure, pre-performance routines, and removing internal doubt about how to achieve goals.

The TED-Ed video is animated by Olesya Shchukina and is a quick lesson on how we can get overwhelmed by pressure and how to overcome it.

If you check it out and enjoy the video, check out some of the other TED videos I’ve featured on previous Sunday Supplements.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

– Galatians 6:9

I think some of the most challenging times occur when you’ve put in enormous effort but don’t get the desired results.

This Bible verse points out a few things for me that I try to remember when I encounter low moments in my life.

One is that it might be too early to judge my efforts. Another is that the harvest might not be what I expected, but there should be something valuable I can take from it. And the last thing is to not give up on doing good things. 

I always try to remember this last one because if I can acknowledge and appreciate the good of my efforts, I can always find more energy to move forward.

Acknowledge your good efforts, love yourself, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Mandy Hale, The Old Man and the Sea, The Lives of Others, Sadhguru, and Bhagavad Gita 13:11

Mandy Hale, The Old Man and the Sea, The Lives of Others, Sadhguru, and Bhagavad Gita 13:11

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 9, 2022

Sunday Supplement #74 (October 9th, 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:

“A season of loneliness and isolation is when the caterpillar gets its wings. Remember that next time you feel alone.”

– Mandy Hale

Book of the Week:

The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old experienced fisherman who’s gone almost three months without catching a fish.

Santiago is considered unlucky by the community. His pupil Manolin is forced to work with another boat by his parents even though he remains friends with Santiago.

The old man decides he will venture far out to sea and catch fish, confident his unlucky streak will come to pass.

Earnest Hemingway’s last major work of fiction published during his life won him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

I read the novella a few years ago in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved the story and prose. Give it a chance and see what it brings up for you.

Movie of the Week:

The Lives of Others

In 1984 East Berlin, a secret police agent is ordered to spy on a prominent playwright, who has previously escaped state scrutiny due to his international recognition.

The agent, Gerd Wiesler, and his team bug and set up surveillance equipment in the playwright Georg Dreyman’s apartment.

Wiesler becomes increasingly absorbed by the playwright’s life with the complexities between the theatrical community and the state due to conflicting motivations.

The Lives of Others won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at the 2007 Academy Awards.

The film made $77 million from a $2 million budget and currently places at 58 on IMDb’s Top 250 list. I highly recommend checking it out.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Overcome Loneliness | Sadhguru

A student asks Sadhguru how to deal with loneliness and feelings of not belonging, not being accepted, and not being loved.

Sadhguru answers the question with many insights on attachment, freedom, and the struggles of living a non-fixed life.

He explains that the number of chemicals running through us varies and makes up a sort of chemical soup of being. How can we make this function at its highest level?

Once your way of being is not determined by anything outside you, there is no such thing as loneliness.

There are many amazing points in this video. If you enjoy the content, check out the other Sunday Supplements where I featured Sadhguru.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“…an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge…— all these I declare to be knowledge.”

– Bhagavad Gita 13:11

When I come across passages like 13:11 in the Bhagavad Gita, I try to find the lesson or the wisdom each word imparts.

Other sections of this passage describe humbleness, nonviolence, self-control, and more under the umbrella of declared knowledge.

The messages in these seemed apparent, but the inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society caused me to think a little harder.

Many gurus remain in solitude in the Hindu texts I come across. However, solitude is often a punishment in many other cultures.

That being said, I think the idea of an inclination for solitary places is wanting moments where you can seek peace and refine yourself.

When I fill my schedule with too many things (productive or not), they can be a distraction and a way to avoid reflecting and recharging.

Make time for a quiet space to reflect or meditate, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Arnold H. Glasow, On Writing, Rocky, Escaping Ordinary, and a Japanese Proverb

Arnold H. Glasow, On Writing, Rocky, Escaping Ordinary, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 25, 2022

Sunday Supplement #72 (September 25th, 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:

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

– Arnold H. Glasow

Book of the Week:

On Writing – Stephen King

Stephen King’s On Writing is a part memoir part masterclass by one of the bestselling authors of all time.

The book is divided into five sections, one narrating his life “C.V.,” one explaining “What Writing Is,” one describing a writer’s “Toolbox,” one giving advice “On Writing,” and the last discusses King’s thoughts on the accident where he was struck by a van “On Living: A Postscript.”

While the book tends to be viewed as a go-to manual for writers, the book offers more than just a writing guide.

King became one of the most successful writers in history, and it’s interesting to see that was his goal when he was young.

The first chapter is worth reading just to see the background King gives on his life growing up and his early journey as a writer.

On Writing should be on every writer’s shelf, but it is also worth checking out for readers looking for life insights from a prolific author.

Movie of the Week:

Rocky

The movie Rocky has become a part of American pop culture over the years but often for the iconic character’s underdog story and a classic score.

Many haven’t seen the film or forgotten how brilliant the original movie was. Sylvester Stallone wrote a phenomenal script that has wonderful depth in its characters.

A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a lottery chance of fighting the world heavyweight champion when the champion’s original opponent drops out.

The film beautifully captures the struggling Rocky Balboa as he navigates his life to the best of his abilities while receiving little respect from those around him.

Once the opportunity to face the champ comes to his doorstep, people from the neighborhood pay attention. Rocky isn’t fooled but strives to fight for his self-respect.

The film won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Rocky should be on any movie lover’s list, and the extraordinary story behind the film deserves a look too.

Brainfood of the Week:

How to Become 37.78 Times Better at Anything (Atomic Habits Summary) | Escaping Ordinary (B.C. Marx)

In Sunday Supplement #8, I highlighted James Clear’s Atomic Habits. The New York Times bestseller is one of my favorite tools for self-improvement.

In this YouTube video, B.C. Marx breaks down the book with an engaging presentation. The animation and voice-over on the video are excellent.

In the book, Clear reveals practical strategies that help form good habits, break bad ones, and master tiny behaviors that lead to massive change.

Clear explains how your daily systems and routines, as well as how you view yourself, control how effective you are at building good habits or promoting bad habits.

In the video, B.C. Marx summarizes Atomic Habits, breaks down the habit-building system in it, and explains how he uses the book in his life.

B.C. Marx’s channel only has eight videos, but he has over 500 thousand subscribers because of the quality of his content. See if you like this video, and check out Escaping Ordinary.

Remember to check out James Clear’s Atomic Habits as well!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Even dust, when piled up, becomes a mountain.” (ちりも積もれば山となる)

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proverb reminds me of the power of consistently making good decisions for yourself.

Whether deciding to exercise for ten minutes or devoting a half hour each day to a hobby or goal, the long-term results are often staggering.

Tim Ferriss often says on his podcast, “People overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in ten.”

Conversely, letting your ship stray slightly without correction can land you far off from where you want to go.

This Japanese proverb is an excellent reminder of how our decisions over time can be something that let us down or bring us great benefits.

Think of the decisions you can make or habits you can build that will help you benefit in the long term, and have a blessed week ahead!

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