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Tag: Slumdog Millionaire

Brené Brown, The War of Art, Slumdog Millionaire, Weiyang Xie, and a Rig Veda Passage

Sunday Supplement #37 (January 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:

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”

– Brené Brown

Book of the Week:

The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield’s life story is incredible. He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, while his father was stationed in the Navy in 1943. Pressfield graduated from Duke University and joined the Marine Corps afterward.

After his tour in the service, Pressfield bounced around between jobs like advertising copywriter, tractor-trailer driver, oilfield roustabout, and fruit picker. He finally found his calling as an author and screenwriter but experienced periods of homelessness and living out of the back of his car while pursuing his writing career.

In The War of Art, Pressfield details the obstacles he faced in his life and how they led him to find and follow his passion for writing. His book breaks down into three parts: Resistance, Combatting Resistance, and Beyond Resistance. In each section, he titles an example of how each topic can manifest and provides short blurbs of explanation.

The non-fiction/self-help book divides opinions for most readers, but it has a 3.98 rating out of 5 on Goodreads, with over 85,000 reviews. Pressfield is most famous for his novels The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire, a book about the Battle of Thermopylae studied at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy.

The War of Art might not be for everybody, but it is worth checking out.

Movie of the Week:

Slumdog Millionaire 

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire narrates the story of an orphan Mumbai teenager who’s a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire as he gets accused of cheating after answering each question correctly.

While the teenager, Jamal, faces each question, he recalls portions of his life story that explain how he knew the answer.

The 2008 film won eight Oscars, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing for Boyle, and Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.

Leading man Dev Patel missed out on an Academy Award nomination for his performance, but moviegoers and film-lovers didn’t overlook his acting abilities. Patel has gone on to star in many acclaimed movies since his feature debut, including films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Green Knight, and his Oscar-nominated performance in Lion.

Slumdog Millionaire shows the negativity, oppression, criticism, and bribery Patel faces in his stint on the famous show. The ultimate result of his perseverance is a reminder of the blessings of our life’s journeys and what they can teach us.

Brainfood of the Week:

TEDx Talks | Dare to Rewire Your Brain for Self-Compassion | Weiyang Xie 

Weiyang Xie is a Staff Psychologist at the University Counseling Center at Notre Dame. When she first came to the US as an international student, she faced adjustment issues, self-doubt, and struggled with anxiety. These issues carried over to her professional life. 

Xie’s negative self-talk took over and became overwhelming. She felt trapped in her anxiety and believed that she couldn’t reach her potential. Xie started to look into how this situation developed and found a common component in people’s anxiety being shame.

In this TEDx Talks, Xie discusses the causes and effects of shame in people’s lives and her journey of discovery in this field. She focuses on how neurobiological studies on shame revealed how neural pathways form from the repetition of habitual negative self-talk. 

Xie then explains how we can resolve the emotional status quo. Research proves that being compassionate to yourself improves emotional resilience and psychological well-being. This practice helps reduce cortisol levels and lower the levels of depression and anxiety.

Beginning practices like noticing negative self-talk and combatting it with self-compassion can remove the previous mental programming and replace it with healthier thought habits. Motivating yourself through positive self-talk and embracing being a work in progress helps bring positivity for the future.

Xie closes the talk by stating that whatever you are saying to yourself, you listen. Developing positive self-talk is crucial for mental health and well-being.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“The human body is the temple of God. One who kindles the light of awareness within gets true light. The sacred flame of your inner shrine is constantly bright. The experience of unity is the fulfillment of human endeavors. The mysteries of life are revealed.”

– A Rig Veda Passage

Many different religions and spiritual practices talk about the light within. For me, this passage from the Rig Veda exemplifies this notion and gives a roadmap for finding that brilliance.

The message starts with the acknowledgment of our bodies holding spiritual power. Whether you believe in God or not, or something else entirely, the body is a miraculous being.

The Rig Veda passage then reveals that listening to your heart and body allows for true light, true knowledge.

There are many ways to translate this passage or gain meaning from the words. It sparks recognition of following your heart and gut and doing your best. When I am in tune with these elements, I find myself happy and with no regrets.

Regardless of spiritual leanings, becoming attuned with your heart and body is something worth cultivating. This passage from the Rig Veda is a brilliant guide and reminder of this practice.

Listen to your heart, be kind to yourself, and have a blessed week ahead!

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James Altucher, Cujo, The Full Monty, ‘Sup Beautiful People, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #19 (September 19th, 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 these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into failure.”

– James Altucher

Book of the Week:

Cujo – Stephen King

My first post about Stephen King was in Sunday Supplement #4 and featured his fantasy novel The Eyes of the Dragon. I wrote about that novel because it disproves the notion that King is just a horror novelist.

Cujo does have some horror elements in it, but it is much more than a scary story. In my opinion, King’s greatest talent as a writer is his ability to construct characters that have depth and make the reader care about what they go through. Even though King barely remembers writing the novel, it is still one of his best. 

I’ve read over 40 Stephen King novels, but I stayed away from Cujo for a long time because I thought it was just a horror book. I’m grateful I gave it a chance because it is one of my favorite books he’s written so far.

The story follows two families amid financial and personal struggles. Vic Trenton and his wife, Donna, are going through their own issues, while a family across town, the Chambers, deal with the abuse in theirs. Cujo, the Chambers’s Saint Bernard, has his own narrative that is struck by contracting rabies. The two families are brought together as the Cujo begins to lose control and attack.

I haven’t watched the movie, and I don’t intend to watch it because most of the adaptations of King’s novels fail to capture the magic he puts on the page. This novel has plenty of depth and will be one that hits you far differently than blurbs suggest if you give it a chance. 

Movie of the Week:

The Full Monty

This British comedy is one of my favorite movies to put on when I’m feeling down. It is about six unemployed steelworkers in Sheffield, England, who decide to make ends meet by becoming strippers. Each character has their arc, and all have lessons to learn about themselves.

The Full Monty stars some of today’s highly accomplished actors. Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, Batman Begins, and The Patriot) show early glimpses of their talent and bare it all—pun intended. Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The World is Not Enough) stars in the lead role of Gaz and provides great depth as a father struggling to be a positive presence in his son’s life.

The movie was penned by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), but it apparently took a lot of editing to make it the Oscar-nominated film it ended up being. In an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Carlyle revealed that the movie was set to be released straight to video until a lot of convincing got it a theatrical release. The result was a gross of over $250 million from a $3.5 million budget.

The Fully Monty has a lot of heart and has some poignant lessons about honesty, responsibility, having fun, and friendship. It’s a great watch and one that provides a lot of laughs.

Brainfood of the Week:

‘Sup Beautiful People – A mini-documentary of Ozro Hepworth by Logan Whorton

Ozro Hepworth grew up in the small town of Panguitch, Utah. He was a state champion in wrestling before he graduated high school and went to work in a factory. While working there, he saw an advertisement for a masseuse school and began taking classes after his overnight shifts. A year later, he became a massage therapist on cruise ships and traveled the world. 

Hepworth ended up in Los Angeles and became a yoga teacher before he moved into education. Visual impairment came into his life, along with many other challenges, and he chose positivity as his way of moving forward.

This mini-documentary is a profound glimpse into the life of a man who faced many adversities and chose to move forward. In the video, you can see bits of his journey and how he cultivated a practice of positivity to help himself and ultimately help others. It is a nine-minute mini-documentary and is worth the watch. I learned from the video how you can take any situation and choose to do something about it. 

Let me know what you picked up!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Knowledge is a garden. If it isn’t cultivated, you can’t harvest it.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb is a reminder for me to continue to learn and grow. Knowledge is something that must be maintained. Whenever I think I’ve reached a point where I feel confident and stable with my knowledge, the universe gives me another challenge. I’ve learned to embrace these opportunities to grow.

I haven’t always seen the lessons in the past. I’ve done a lot of research and have talked with a lot of people about how to learn and move forward. Opening the door to inward reflection helped me understand myself and improve. I realized that knowledge isn’t something that is always focused on the outside. Knowledge of myself has been one of the most helpful exercises I’ve incorporated in my life.

I’m reminded to look for new experiences and opportunities to learn something new about myself, others, or the world. I find that some of my fondest memories come from areas of growth. I encourage everyone to look for those experiences.

Learn something new about yourself or others, and have a blessed week ahead!

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