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Tag: The Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama, Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Tony Robbins, and a Bible Passage

Sunday Supplement #165 (July 7th, 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:

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.”

– Dalai Lama

Book of the Week:

Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking – Michael J. Ritt Jr.

I featured Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich in Sunday Supplement #85. The title might throw some people off, but I found some of its advice invaluable.

Napoleon Hill’s journey involved discovering the commonalities between the most successful people in various fields and compiling them to present to the public.

Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking is a compilation of some of the best principles from Hill’s best works.

Michael J. Ritt Jr. worked for Napoleon Hill, and his compilation was released as an official publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

It is a short read, and at least one worthwhile tip is waiting for you to pick up in this book. I found the book an enjoyable read and one I’ll revisit in the future.

Movie of the Week:

Searching for Bobby Fischer

The 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer, written and directed by Steve Zaillian, was based on the story of child chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin.

The book on which the film was based was written by Josh’s dad, Fred Waitzkin. It follows Josh’s journey in the competitive chess world as he’s encouraged to harden himself to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

The film features brilliant performances from Max Pomeranc as Josh, Joe Mantegna as Fred, Joan Allen as Josh’s Mom, Joan, Ben Kingsley as Josh’s coach Bruce, and Lawrence Fishburne as Josh’s coach Vinnie.

Searching for Bobby Fischer was nominated for one Oscar (Best Cinematography), but I think it deserved many more.

The film is an excellent exploration of childhood, parenting, teaching, and the pursuit of success. Even if you don’t like or know much about chess, add this movie to your watchlist.

Brainfood of the Week:

These 3 Questions Will Change How You Do EVERYTHING! | Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and leading life and business strategist.

This video is a clip from one of Robbins’s seminars. In the video, Robbins discusses three questions and how they affect our lives.

The three questions are: What are you going to focus on? What does this mean? What am I going to do?

Robbins breaks down how we shape our experience of life based on our answers to these questions (consciously or subconsciously).

I’ve featured three Tony Robbins books in previous Sunday Supplements. Check out this short video and see if you’re interested in checking out more of Tony Robbins’s work.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

– Matthew 5:8

The Ten Commandments from the Bible are often highlighted, but I find the Beatitudes a more interesting guide to living a good life. Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is a powerful message, and I highly encourage you to read it at some point.

Matthew 5:8 is a verse from this passage, and I find you can take a lot from just this verse. I’ll start with the latter, “for they will see God.” I’m reminded of the verse John 4:8, “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

As for the beginning of the above verse, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” I think of the Bible’s description of purity relating to guiltless, blameless, or innocent behavior.

For me, Matthew 5:8 reminds us to be honest, uplifting, and loving; in turn, we will see the love in this world.


Stay positive, move forward with positivity, and have a blessed week ahead!

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The Dalai Lama, All Quiet on the Western Front, Rain Man, The School of Life, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #33 (December 26th, 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:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

– The Dalai Lama

Book of the Week:

All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque

The German novel about World War I was written by veteran Erich Maria Remarque and published in serial form in Vossische Zeitung magazine in 1928.

All Quiet on the Western Front was released in America the following year in book form and became the best-selling work of fiction for that year.

The story focuses on a German perspective of the war. A room of schoolboys is encouraged by their schoolmaster to partake in the glorious war on behalf of their country. The boys are moved by the call of patriotism and sign up for the army. From the point of view of an ‘unknown soldier,’ the novel then explores the horror and disillusionment of life in battle.

I remember reading this book in high school, and it hit me how there are two sides to every story, even in war. At the time, I probably had most of my knowledge of Germany in war influenced by World War II films. I can think back now to my reading All Quiet on the Western Front as one of the early seeds planted for the curiosity of perspective and learning others’ stories.

The book was adapted to a movie fairly quickly in Hollywood and won the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards in 1930.

I’m looking forward to re-reading this novel again, and I’d encourage anyone else interested to give it a chance.

Movie of the Week:

Rain Man

The 1989 Academy Awards had many great movies nominated for Best Picture, including Stand and Deliver (highlighted in Sunday Supplement #3), but it’s clear why Rain Main came away with the Oscar.

The story follows a selfish Los Angeles yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, as he learns his estranged father left his fortune to an autistic savant brother, Raymond, he didn’t know existed. Charlie then absconds with his brother and sets out on a cross-country trip to bring his brother back to Los Angeles in the hopes of gaining what he believes is his rightful fortune.

Tom Cruise played Charlie Babbitt, and Dustin Hoffman played Raymond. The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Barry Levinson, Best Writing – Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

In recent years, I’ve found that there aren’t many films, especially Hollywood movies, that have great depth outside of Independent Cinema. The ones that make it to mainstream attention are clearly worth watching, but many brilliant concepts and subjects get overlooked by the mainstream.

Rain Man is a remarkable film with tremendous character growth that gets depicted through a heartfelt and brilliant story. The movie is a classic, and one that stands remains relevant.

Brainfood of the Week:

Self Compassion — The School of Life

The School of Life is a YouTube channel consisting of psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives. 

The channel shares ideas on understanding ourselves better, improving our relationships, taking stock of our careers, and deepening our social connections. Another aspect focuses on the outcome of finding serenity and growing more confident in facing challenges. 

The School of Life offers films, online psychotherapy, online classes, and a range of books, e-books, and games. They publish a new video on their channel every Wednesday and have an audience of over seven million subscribers.

This video goes over the importance of self-compassion and provides a routine that you can use to engage in self-care.

The recording explains how most humans survive by becoming highly adept at self-criticism for not working hard or being smart enough. This behavior is so we don’t fall behind in life, but the behavior can sometimes become excessive and harmful.

The antidote to being hard on ourselves is self-compassion. However, we can be suspicious of this balancing tool because it can often look like self-pity. 

A way to healthily combat depression and self-hatred is self-care.

The School of Life suggests taking time for a 15-minute self-compassion exercise or meditation. The aim is to adopt a kindly perspective on your life and correct the negative flow of your wort self-accusations. 

The video is an interesting look at how important self-compassion is and one way of actively engaging in supporting ourselves.

Give the video a watch and see if it clicks for you, but, regardless, make sure to be compassionate to yourself and make self-care a top priority.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“One who loves you loves you with your dirt.”

– African Proverb

A friend recently told me that things don’t need to be perfect to be good. 

I think we can get upset at times when we see something that is unfair, or we see something or someone that has the potential to be better.

When we focus on our thoughts of what could be better, we fail to validate the moment that is right in front of us.

When I read this proverb, I’m reminded of the meaning of unconditional love.

I don’t believe that means we need to validate bad behavior, but I hope to be able to see through the dirt more as I grow.

See if you can find a moment to be compassionate, and have a blessed week ahead!

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