Tag: Ted Talks

Karen Salmansohn, Walking to Listen, Lilo & Stitch, Elizabeth Dunn, and a Bible Passage

Karen Salmansohn, Walking to Listen, Lilo & Stitch, Elizabeth Dunn, and a Bible Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 11, 2023

Sunday Supplement #109 (June 11th, 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:

“Choose to focus your time, energy, and conservation around people who inspire you, support you, and help you grow into your happiest, strongest, wisest self.”

– Karen Salmansohn

Book of the Week:

Walking to Listen – Andrew Forsthoefel

Forsthoefel’s book recounts his decision to walk across America with the intention of listening to the stories of the people he encounters along the way.

After graduating college, Forsthoefel wasn’t quite sure what to do next and decided to take a year off to walk across the United States and hopefully have a meaningful experience.

Forsthoefel acknowledged he was able to embark on this journey in part because of his privilege as a young white man, but the people he met had many diverse perspectives.

The people who help Forsthoefel along the way, either by giving him a place to rest or sharing some wisdom from a life with much more experience, make the book an interesting read.

I didn’t think the book was amazing. However, I recommend it with a grain of salt because of the people Forsthoefel encountered and the concept and execution of his journey.

Movie of the Week:

Lilo & Stitch

Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is about a young girl who adopts a ‘dog’ from a local shelter, unaware that it’s a supposedly alien science experiment that’s taken refuge on Earth.

The young girl, Lilo, attempts to connect with the alien, Stitch, and protect him from his creators and the Galactic Federation, who chases him.

Stitch learns about the Hawaiian concept of ‘ohana – extended family’ from Lilo and must reconsider his violent nature to keep his newfound family together.

Lilo & Stitch was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, but it was unlucky to be up against Spirited Away (which I covered in Sunday Supplement #25).

That being said, the film packs a wonderful combination of drama, comedy, and action and is a movie that stands out over the years as one to remember.

Brainfood of the Week:

Helping Others Makes Us Happy – But How We Do It Matters | TED Talks – Elizabeth Dunn

Elizabeth Dunn is a social psychologist and Professor of Social Psychology at the University of British Columbia.

In her studies on generosity and joy, Dunn found a catch to helping others and the effect on the giver— how we help matters.

Early in her career, Dunn published a paper about how spending money on others promotes happiness. However, she found that the conclusion didn’t seem to apply to her.

The TED Talk focuses on Dunn’s subsequent research and findings of how connection and seeing a difference matters in our experience of helping others.

Dunn’s video is a thought-provoking watch, and while its context is focused on a larger charity level, I think it has interesting parallels to engaging with others daily.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Generous persons will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

– Proverbs 11:25

This Bible passage is shown to be true through scientific experiments like the one in the Brainfood of the Week above.

While I think much of the Bible’s wisdom comes in metaphors, it’s interesting to see the cases when science backs it up.

That being said, I tend to find many layers to different spiritual sayings and find it worthwhile to see if you can view them from different perspectives.

For me, this verse is a reminder that helping others will also lift you up. But it also reminds me that it is good to let others help you as well.

Keep those who want to support you around as friends and family but remember to reach out to others and give them a chance. And have a blessed week ahead!

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Randy Pausch, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hot Fuzz, Catherine Price, and an African Proverb

Randy Pausch, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hot Fuzz, Catherine Price, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 18, 2022

Sunday Supplement #71 (September 18th, 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:

“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.”

– Randy Pausch

Book of the Week:

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’s classic children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, has sold over 100 million copies in over 45 languages.

The series contains seven novels that delve into the magical realm of Narnia, where magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals roam.

C.S. Lewis initially had a photo of a fawn in his head at 16, which eventually developed into the world of Narnia.

Narnia has its own history, which throughout the series is added to by humans from our world traveling there by magical means.

The order of the series is debated, but I started with The Magician’s Nephew. You can look up the different orders for suggested reading and decide for yourself.

I didn’t read the series until my late 20s. The books might be classified as children’s novels, but the adventures and themes were something I feel everyone can enjoy.

Movie of the Week:

Hot Fuzz

The detective murder mystery is making a comeback in Cinema with the likes of Knives Out and the Hercule Poirot remakes.

However, most of these modern movies fall short through poor writing and sometimes conceited self-awareness.

In Hot Fuzz, a skilled London police officer irritates his superiors with his embarrassing effectiveness and is transferred to a simple English village.

The officer’s fervor for regulations rubs against the easygoing villagers’ lifestyles even when a string of grisly murders occurs.

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Hot Fuzz is an action comedy grounded in a detective murder mystery that is better than most recent films taking a serious stab at the genre.

Hot Fuzz’s genius comes from treating the audience as intelligent viewers and crafting a well-written murder mystery. It is well worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

Why Having Fun is the Secret to a Healthier Life | Catherine Price | TED Talks

In this video, science journalist Catherine Price discusses what it means to have fun and shares ways to weave playfulness, flow, and connection into your life.

Price opens her talk by discussing how we often pack our schedules and find ourselves languishing in our free time, which leads to more of the former.

She points out how we can often use the word “fun” to describe things that we do in our leisure time but aren’t actually fun or good for us.

Fun is often attributed to a childlike demeanor or a fanciful experience. Price argues how this definition is wrong and belittles what fun can be.

In the next portion of the video, Price describes how fun should be viewed as a feeling and not an activity.

The latter half of the video delves into Price’s prescription of playfulness, flow, and connection as true fun and how you can incorporate more into your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Between true friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb reminds me of the joy one can experience when connecting with another human being.

I think back, especially to times in college, when a prevailing attitude was that alcohol or other substances were necessary for good times.

While fun times can be had during times of intoxication, I think it’s a mistake to believe that intoxication or other outside factors are a requirement for good times.

I believe a good indicator of whether or not something is worth pursuing is when you can be entirely absorbed by the function and be happy.

Some of my favorite times are having engaging discussions or finding myself engaged in an activity that brings me joy.

The African proverb reminds me that those moments are sweet enough.

Recognize the moments that bring you unaided joy, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Anne Wilson Schaef, The 4-Hour Body, The Karate Kid, Wendy Suzuki, and the Dhammapada 204

Anne Wilson Schaef, The 4-Hour Body, The Karate Kid, Wendy Suzuki, and the Dhammapada 204

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 31, 2022

Sunday Supplement #64 (July 31st, 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:

“Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.”

– Anne Wilson Schaef

Book of the Week:

The 4-Hour Body – Timothy Ferriss

*I recommend this book with a grain of salt. I do not believe everything in The 4-Hour Body should be followed. Ferriss isn’t a dietician or doctor. He states as much in a disclaimer.

That being said, I picked up many useful tidbits from the book.

Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Body was his followup to his New York Times bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek (which I covered in Sunday Supplement #57).

In addition to his award-winning podcast, bestselling books, and successes as an entrepreneur, Ferriss is a tango world record holder and former national kickboxing champion.

The 4-Hour Body is the culmination of Ferriss’ quest to find the best and tiniest changes for all things physical that produce the biggest results.

There is an excellent introduction to the book that helps readers decide which sections are best for them. It covers everything from dieting and weight loss to sex and sleep.

While I gave the asterisks at the beginning of the recommendation, there is testing behind his research, and athlete and MD referrals.

For me, this was a great book to learn about the science behind health and exercise. I view it as a good introductory book that is an easy and fun read.

Movie of the Week:

The Karate Kid

John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid is an 80s film about a teenager, Daniel, who gets bullied after his move to California and his journey under the tutelage of a martial arts master.

The movie is a relatively simple story, along the lines of one of Avildsen’s previous films (Rocky), and it was able to capture something special like Rocky.

Daniel’s journey in the story is an interesting mix of standing up for himself physically and learning maturity and balance in all aspects of his life.

While Ralph Macchio did a brilliant job as Daniel, the star of the movie is Pat Morita as Daniel’s tutor Mr. Miyagi.

Morita was nowhere near the radar of the higher-ups for the role, but Avildsen advocated for Morita as Mr. Miyagi. Ultimately, Morita received an Academy Award nomination for his performance.

The Karate Kid went on to have three sequels and a currently running Emmy-nominated series after its massive success at the box office.

The movie is a fun summer popcorn flick that packs some substance along with its punches.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise | Wendy Suzuki

“What if I told you there was something you can do right now that would have an immediate, positive benefit for your brain, including your mood and your focus?”

“And what if I told you that same thing could actually last a long time and protect your brain from different conditions like depression, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia? Would you do it?”

Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki opens her TED Talks with these questions. She states that the way to achieve these powerful effects is through physical activity.

Suzuki tells a personal story that exemplifies why exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain today.

Her findings through her own experience led her to change her research focus.

After years of analysis, Suzuki found exercise has immediate effects on your brain, long-term attention function, as well as long-term improvement of good mood neurotransmitters and protective effects on your brain.

Suzuki wraps up her TED Talks by answering how long you have to exercise to trigger these positive outcomes. Exercising three to four times a week for thirty minutes is the answer.

This TED Talk has many more valuable benefits and is worth taking 13 minutes of your day.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Health is the greatest gift.”

– Dhammapada 204

Health can be taken for granted until confronted with illness in oneself or a close friend or relative.

This Dhammapada quote reminds me to cherish my health and the health of my loved ones.

I think our physical well-being is as vital as our mental well-being. They are linked, and each can be used as a kickstart for the other.

There is a lot of toxicity around the vanity of health. I don’t think healthy living means a photoshopped magazine image. It means treating your body with kindness.

Kindness doesn’t mean saying nice things and spoiling oneself or others, though. It means being honest with oneself and others without being mean.

The Dhammapada and many other spiritual practices preach the benefits of treating one’s body as a gift.

There are many benefits to making your physical health a priority. This quote was a timely reminder for me to be more conscious of how I’m treating my body.

Treat your physical health with kindness, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Paulo Coelho, The 4-Hour Workweek, The Birdcage, Emily Esfahani Smith, and Ecclesiastes 3:12

Paulo Coelho, The 4-Hour Workweek, The Birdcage, Emily Esfahani Smith, and Ecclesiastes 3:12

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 12, 2022

Sunday Supplement #57 (June 12th, 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:

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

– Paulo Coelho (Matthew 6:21)

Book of the Week:

The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss

I’ve featured Tim Ferriss in seven different Sunday Supplements, but they all were in the Brainfood of the Week Category with interviews he’s conducted on The Tim Ferris Show.

In addition to being a brilliant interviewer, Ferriss is famous for his “life-hack” blog posts and bestselling books on various topics.

Tim’s The 4-Hour Workweek is the first of his bestselling self-help books. It delivers anecdotes and how-tos on eliminating unnecessary work and maximizing results.

I haven’t always been a fan of Ferriss’s tone on his podcast and in his writing, but I’ve liked him more in the past year or two since his deeply personal podcast episode.

The 4-Hour Workweek is a throwback to his days when he came off out of touch at times with different audiences, but some of the content he covered was excellent.

The book’s time management and work negotiation sections were some of my favorite and had tips I continue to use today.

Read with a grain of salt, but there is sure to be something useful you add to your own routine.

Movie of the Week:

The Birdcage

Mike Nichols’s The Birdcage was adapted from Jean Poiret’s play and starred Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, and Dianne Wiest.

The story follows a cabaret owner and his drag queen companion as they agree to put on a false straight front so their son can bring his fiancée’s right-wing parents to meet the family.

The film carries a comedic tone throughout but champions LGBTQ+ issues in serious moments at a time (1996) when it was taboo to cover them.

Williams and Lane star as the partners and parents pretending to play it straight. The story utilizes both actors’ brilliance to help the film shine.

The Birdcage was nominated for only one Academy Award (Best Art Direction-Set Decoration) and arguably missed out because of the movie’s story.

Nichols’s movie stands the test of time and is one to check out for many reasons, including one of Robin Williams’s best performances.

Brainfood of the Week:

TED Talks: There’s More to Life Than Being Happy | Emily Esfahani Smith

In this TED Talk, Emily Esfahani Smith discusses her journey from the pursuit of achieving happiness by achieving success to finding out how to live a life of meaning.

Smith went to graduate school for positive psychology to find out why she and others struggled despite achieving success.

Data showed Smith that chasing happiness can make people unhappy.

Suicide rates reached a 30-year high in America. Even though life has improved objectively by nearly every conceivable standard, more people feel hopeless, depressed, and alone.

Research shows that this despair comes from a lack of meaning in life. Is there more to life than being happy? And is there a difference between being happy and having meaning in life?

How can we each live more meaningfully? Smith spent five years interviewing hundreds of people and reading through thousands of pages of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy.

Smith found what she calls the four pillars of a meaningful life— Belonging, Purpose, Transcendence, and Storytelling.

In the video, Smith details each pillar and how they affect our lives.

This Ted Talks is genuinely one of the best videos I’ve come across about the meaning of life. Please take the time to give it a watch.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.”

– Ecclesiastes 3:12

This bible passage reminds me not to chase happiness and to look for the moments to help others when I have the opportunity.

The words ‘be joyful’ don’t describe a state achieved through outside influences. In Ecclesiastes, the words read to me of an emotion that comes from within.

I believe we can be affected by outside influences, consciously or unconsciously, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But we can always choose or work on choosing how to respond.

And when we go about our lives, I believe we have the ability to tap into whatever emotion we want. For me, this Ecclesiastes passage reminds me to tap into joy.

The other part of the passage reminds me that acts of service ‘doing good’ are our most powerful ways to contribute and experience life.

I believe doing good can come in small acts as well as grand acts, and sometimes it’s the small acts that can make a massive difference in someone else’s life.

Act from joy, watch for the moments to do good, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Anaïs Nin, The Once and Future King, Arrival, Malavika Varadan, and Proverbs 3:7

Anaïs Nin, The Once and Future King, Arrival, Malavika Varadan, and Proverbs 3:7

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 25, 2021

Sunday Supplement #11 (July 25th, 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 this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“And the day came when the risk to remain in a tight bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

– Anaïs Nin, from her poem “Risk”

Book of the Week:

The Once and Future King – T.H. White

T.H. White’s The Once and Future King is based largely on Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. It recounts many classic elements of Arthurian Legend in easy-to-digest prose, unlike some denser books in the same field.

The book is separated into four parts and starts with a light-hearted telling of The Sword in the Stone but ends with a more sobering look at Arthur experiencing the downfall of his kingdom at the hands of his son Mordred.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the stories of King Arthur. It is a long novel, but since it’s broken into four parts, you can take it in sections and go at your own pace. The stories are wonderfully written and provide vivid descriptions with entertainment and depth. The themes and lessons in the book are rooted in the many fantastical adventures and intense challenges the characters encounter.

The multiple points of view and different storylines from various characters add to the complexity of the narrative. Many of the stories from the book address issues that are still relevant today. It is a complete work in many different ways and is one that gives the reader a pleasurable and thought-provoking read.

Movie of the Week:

Arrival

Twelve alien spaceships appear around the world, but the reason for their arrival is unknown. A linguist, played by Amy Adams, works with the American military to make initial contact with the lifeforms from one of the ships.

Arrival was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won one— Best Achievement in Sound Editing. The year it was up for the Oscars (2017) had many brilliant films, but this one should not be lost in the mix. It is one of the best Cinematic viewings I’ve had to date. The execution of the screenplay on screen provides a beautiful experience.

The film is based on a short story by Ted Chiang. Chiang won four Nebula awards, four Hugo awards, and four Locus awards for his works. If you enjoy the movie, you should check out his short story collections.

It’s not often that a movie surpasses the bar of entertainment and reaches the heights of unique art. Arrival’s themes fit in too well with modern times but give hope to viewers by the end. Communication is one of the themes at the forefront of the narrative, but how it is explored makes the climax of the film profound.

Every element of the movie is executed to the highest degree. The beauty of the story is brought to life through everyone involved in its making. Even if science fiction is not your genre, this film should be on your list.

Brainfood of the Week:

TEDx Talks with Malavika Varadan on Communication

Malavika Varadan is a radio host, musician, and fitness enthusiast. She cultivated a large fan following on her radio show, reaching over 1.6 million people, and has learned many tips on how to engage in conversation in the process. In this episode on TEDx, Varadan goes over different strategies to support effective communication.

Varadan starts with a description of how conversations are like links in a chain. Each conversation we have with someone adds another link. The strength and power of the chain depend on the conversation, and we can create solid or weak bonds depending on how we communicate with others.

The seven tips Varadan provides are valuable tools to help start a conversation with anyone, establish a connection, and ultimately have a new experience.

A lot of polarities occur between people as a result of miscommunication or not communicating at all. Our words can be misinterpreted, or we might not even be able to connect in a conversation. Varadan’s TEDx Talk addresses these issues and helps give solutions for effectively engaging with others.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Be not wise in thine own eyes.”

– Proverbs 3:7 (Tanakh)

This passage from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is one of my favorite reminders to keep growing and learning. The early books of the Bible can be drastic, but there are a lot of nuggets of wisdom in its pages.

I like how this quote discusses wisdom and how it shouldn’t be viewed as a personal attribute. It is an example of the continual pursuit of knowledge. I’ve been working on being curious rather than judgmental. The reason for this is because judgment comes from a place of believing you are right. In many cases, we only see the surface of a person or situation and think we know the whole. Curiosity offers a way to learn instead.

I want to continue learning for the rest of my life. I want to continue to be curious when I encounter different people and ideas. Passages like this one are excellent reminders of how to be forever open to growth.

Learn something new, and have a blessed week ahead!

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