Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
Do you remember the original Rocky movie that was released in 1976? Forget all the sequels; the original was, and always will be, the best.
Here’s the synopsis: Rocky Balboa is a small-time, down-on-his-luck Philadelphia boxer. He is handed the opportunity of a lifetime when the reigning heavyweight champion of the world challenges him to a boxing match as a publicity stunt.
Rocky eventually agrees to the fight and the match was set. He wasn’t in the greatest of shape, so he decided he’d better get with a program. The first clip at the end of this post shows Rocky’s first official training day. The alarm goes off at 4:00 am, and Rocky stumbles out of bed in a sweatshirt and underpants to gulp down half a dozen raw eggs. Then he’s out the door to run in the dark and cold Philadelphia streets.
Like most of us out of the starting block on a new program, at first Rocky seems upbeat and runs well. But the longer his legs are pumping, the slower he’s going. By the time he reaches those gazillion steps (actually less than 100) of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he’s hobbling along, holding his side, wheezing. He half stumbles up the steps to the top platform that has a stunning view of the pre-dawn city.
But Rocky doesn’t see the view because he’s bent over trying to catch his breath. As the camera focuses on his face, we see that he’s consumed with doubt and fear. I figure that he’s saying to himself, “Why did I agree to do this? I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this.” He then lurches down the steps and limps home.
Again, we can compare Rocky’s situation to our own when we’ve taken on something big and important. Maybe it’s risky. It might involve putting ourselves out there where people can see whether we succeed or fail. At some point, we may be asking ourselves those same types of questions: “What was I thinking? I’m not (fill in the blank) enough to accomplish this. This is going to be an epic fail.”
But the Italian Stallion (Rocky’s made-up nickname for himself) stuck with it. And sometimes that’s all we need to do.
It can be easy to take that first leap and start something. And it’s just as easy to give up when the dominoes aren’t immediately falling over in the pattern. Well, that didn’t work right away so why waste any more time? We may have to reset a few of those dominoes more than once, maybe even slightly altering their direction because they’re just not going to work in the original pattern we set up.
I once had a boss who believed the best quality of a manager was tenacity. The dictionary defines tenacity as the quality or fact of being very determined or the quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence.
Like Rocky, we need to stay determined. And just like him in the second clip below, we can leap up those steps, bounding our way to the top.
And when you click on the links below, please remember….the struggle depicted in the first video is every bit as important as the awesomeness of the personal victory displayed in the second clip. Just as in our real lives, it’s good to remember that it may not have been easy, but worth every second of effort we put into it.
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You’re right – the “first” Rocky was the best – but I went to see them all. I actually have the soundtrack of that movie on a – YES – record. Your nephew used to play it (in his younger days) when he was training in our basement (weightlifting). On the inside cover of the album, Sylvester Stallone wrote, “When I wrote the script for “ROCKY,” I wanted a symphony of powerful men, of lonely women, of thick-necked losers, of human ships that crash in the night, of love, of courage, and of dignity cast in bronze.” Bill Conti wrote the music for ROCKY. Sly said, “How did this thin man with an Afghan dog, seize the soul of every character and set it to music!” “I should have known…..Bill Conti is Italian.”
And now you know the rest of the story!
Thanks for this feedback—I wasn’t familiar with the story.
Your article couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I am going through a frightening time in my life. I have allowed myself to become incredibly out of shape and overweight. For fifteen years I have blamed my lack of motivation and physical activity on arthritis. This year has been particularly bad because I had surgery on my legs and was restricted in activity. Because of my lifestyle and “I can’t do it attitude”, I have been on a downward slide in health and stamina since I retired in 2006. I am determined to climb my way out of it. I started walking and working out a few days ago and believe me, I felt like Rocky in the first clip. Every part of my body was screaming for me to give up and sit in my recliner. This article reminded me that any journey worth taking starts with the first steps. Your story was motivating and has given me the incentive to keep trying. I know it won’t be easy, but I, like Rocky, am committed to improving each day. Thanks, Norma! You are amazing and I ALWAYS enjoy reading your blogs! ????
Yeah Linda!!!!!!!
Keep up the great work and attitude, you CAN do this!!!!
Judy (just a Norma fan)
Sweet Linda – My sister Bev emailed me after you posted this. She said, “If you ever wonder if your writing makes a difference, now you know.” I wish I were there to cheer you on in person! Feeling “old” is so self-perpetuating. We’re achy and figure doing anything will make it worse and then we’re more achy. Sometimes taking that first step is all we need to reinvent ourselves. So happy you’re taking it! See you in October.