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Andrew Grove, Surrounded by Idiots, Notting Hill, Katherine Hampsten, and a Bible Passage

Sunday Supplement #172 (August 25th, 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:

“How well we communicate is not determined by how well we say things but how well we are understood.”

– Andrew Grove

Book of the Week:

Surrounded by Idiots – Thomas Erikson

Thomas Erikson is a behavioral expert, lecturer, and bestselling author. He has worked with executives and managers at companies such as IKEA, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola.

Erikson’s book Surrounded by Idiots was published in 2014 in Sweden and has sold over three million copies worldwide.

The Western title of Erikson’s novel, Surrounded by Idiots, almost threw me off from buying it. However, the book quickly explains that the title is intended to show how we can brush people off when we don’t understand them.

Erikson breaks down the four behavior types (Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue) that make up most people and explains how each type of person has different tendencies in how they function.

I found the book extremely practical for learning about yourself and the best ways to communicate with others.

Movie of the Week:

Notting Hill

The Roger Michell directed Richard Curtis written Notting Hill is one of my all-time favorite romantic comedy movies.

The film follows Hugh Grant’s character William Thacker and his life post-divorce as he runs his travel book shop on the famous Portobello Road Market in London, England.

One day, a famous American actress, Anna Scott, played by Julia Roberts, enters his shop, resulting in a chance encounter that sparks a bond.

Chances are you’ve heard Notting Hill’s iconic line referenced somewhere, but I won’t spoil it here. The film is a fantastic watch with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. Check it out.

Brainfood of the Week:

How Miscommunication Happens – Katherine Hampsten | TED-Ed

Katherine Hampsten, Ph. D., is a professor of communication studies at St. Mary’s University. Her papers have received recognition from the National Communication Association.

In this TED-Ed video, Hampsten describes why miscommunication occurs so frequently and how we can minimize frustration while better expressing ourselves.

Hampsten explains how our subjective lenses and perceptual filters continually shift meanings and interpretations in our conversations.

A basic understanding of what happens when we communicate can help prevent miscommunication, and Hampsten goes over four ways to help navigate daily communication.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

– James 1:19

This Bible passage is a good reminder for me to focus on listening and responding rather than blabbing and reacting when communicating.

I think it can be easy to fall into the trap of getting excited about what you want to say or getting bored when someone’s speaking because you want to share something or aren’t fully engaged with the other person.

Sometimes, it may just be a bad conversation, but if we are interested in communicating with others, we need to hold space for understanding.

This also helps regarding the above verse’s call to be slow to anger. If we are looking to understand, we shouldn’t close ourselves off to different points of view.


Seek to understand and be understood in communication, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Charles Kettering, The Surrender Experiment, About Time, A Complete Guide to Goalsetting, and Surah At-Tawbah 126

Sunday Supplement #34 (January 2nd, 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:

“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”

– Charles Kettering

Book of the Week:

The Surrender Experiment – Michael A. Singer

In Sunday Supplement #12, I highlighted Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul. That book is one of my favorite self-help/spirituality books and is one that gave me many tools to improve my life.

The Surrender Experiment is Singer’s autobiography that recounts his life from his early years as a loner and a searcher to his life as a computer program engineer that made him a multi-millionaire.

Throughout Singer’s journey, he stayed true to his spiritual and humanitarian efforts, which allowed him to put aside conflicting beliefs, let go of worries, and transform misdirected desires.

Many self-help books can appear to be a lot of advice from people coming off like they’re selling something. Michael Singer’s work passes on what has worked in his life without skipping over the contentious parts.

This book is a fantastic insight into Singer’s extraordinary life and is the perfect introduction to his guide to living in The Untethered Soul.

Movie of the Week:

About Time

Richard Curtis, the writer/director of About Time, has over 60 movies credited to his name. Of those are classics like Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

While About Time isn’t one of Curtis’ Oscar-nominated films, it is definitely one of his best and deserves a view.

The film tells the story of Tim as he turns 21 and learns from his father that he can travel in time and change what happens in his life. He decides to use his abilities to get a girlfriend but finds more difficulties in this task than he imagined. The lessons he learns along the way make a beautiful movie.

Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy star in the leading roles with solid supporting performances from Margot Robbie and Lydia Wilson. Each contributes to the well-written story in memorable ways.

About Time is a brilliant romantic comedy that provides a beautiful message for the New Year. The viewer has to put aside the logistics of time travel in the movie, but it allows for a special film to be seen if that is done. 

Brainfood of the Week:

A Complete Guide to Goal Setting — The Art of Improvement (Jack Heimbigner)

I featured The Art of Improvement on Sunday Supplement #30, and the channel makes another appearance for this post.

In this video, Jack Heimbigner goes over the importance of milestones and goal setting. We often fail to follow through with our plans, but the video explains why this happens and how to avoid that outcome.

Heimbigner breaks down S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal setting. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/relatable, time-bound, evaluate, and reward. Check out the video to see how each category is used to help achieve and manage your goals.

The video wraps up with the C.S. Lewis quote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

I believe goal setting is a valuable tool to help yourself move forward. The Art of Improvement video is a fantastic tool to help you plan for the new year. 

I’d also recommend checking out Sunday Supplement #8 and my blurb about Atomic Habits to help with setting achievable goals

Have fun with your goal-setting for 2022!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Do they not see that they are tried once or twice every year? Yet they neither repent nor do they learn a lesson.”

– Surah At-Tawbah 126

This passage from the Quran reminds me of the importance of reflecting and learning from my actions. The end of the year is the perfect time for looking back at what’s happened, seeing the lessons that can be gleaned, and planning for the year ahead.

My birthday is on December 27th, and I usually dedicate time on that day to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. I did an intention setting for the year ahead, but I put the yearly reflection aside for later.

I’ve since looked at my past year, celebrated my wins, and saw areas where I could improve. One of the exercises I did was a value and goal alignment. I looked at my values and goals and saw where I fell short and where I could adjust for the following year.

The simplest way to ensure I’m on track is to plan my schedule with activities and routines that reflect my values and goals. The above Art of Improvement video also helped me create a plan for 2022.

I always find it exciting when synchronicity strikes in my life. And the timing of coming across the Quran passage reminded me how vital it is to look at the year’s past tests and learn from them.

Reflect on the past year, learn and plan, move forward, and have a blessed year ahead!

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