What Rocky can teach us about Life.

Last night, I watched a documentary about Sylvester Stallone. If you're not immediately familiar with his name, just think of Rocky and Rambo.

Sly, as he's affectionately known, opened up about his challenging childhood, particularly the hardships he endured due to his father's violent abuse. He wasn't exactly the academic type and often found himself in trouble at school. In fact, he shared that he attended a staggering 13 different schools in just 12 years!

Despite the odds stacked against him, Sly had an unwavering dream of becoming an actor. He would spend most of his time either sneaking into cinemas or immersing himself in role-playing in his bedroom. Eventually, he found the courage to pursue his dream of acting, only to encounter relentless rejection.

What surprised me was that his slurred speech, a distinctive part of his persona, is actually a result of the damage incurred during his traumatic birth. And whilst that was partly to blame for the difficulty he found breaking into acting, eventually it became part of his ‘brand’.

He then goes on to explain how he got his first break and the rest is history!

But why am I sharing this with you today?

In my book, ‘How did I get here?: A guide to letting go of your past and living in alignment with your true self’ I explore the stories we adopt about our identities and the paths we should follow in life based on what we are taught as children. I especially emphasise that we’re frequently told that real happiness comes from living a linear life – do well in school, go onto higher education, get a stable job, get married, have children, and so on.

However, the truth is far from linear because life never really goes to plan.

So what skills do we need to be resilient in a world that will challenge us in every direction?

While some may mock the Rocky films as not being exactly works of art, what has always struck a chord with me is the authenticity of the human story, particularly this heartfelt speech he delivers to his son in Rocky Balboa:

‘When things got hard you started looking for something to blame – like a big shadow.

Let me tell you something you already know –

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.

It’s a very mean and nasty place. And I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and it will keep you there if you let it.

You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life.

But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit.

It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward – how much you can take and keep moving forward – that’s how winning is done!

Now if you know your worth, then go out and get what you’re worth.

But you have to be willing to take the hits and not point fingers saying you aren’t where you wanna be because of him, her or anybody – cowards do that and that ain’t you.

You’re better than that.’’

And during that emotional scene, Rocky goes on to tell his son that whatever he does and whoever he becomes, he will always love him.

And then he finishes with this:

‘But until you start believing in yourself – you ain’t gonna have a life!’

In those brief moments, Rocky sums up the truth of life.

It’s not about avoiding difficulties or sheltering ourselves from the challenges that may arise on our path to fulfilling our deepest desires and dreams. It’s about proclaiming,

‘I want this so badly that I’m willing to take the punches because I know I have the strength to keep going, no matter what!’

Because as Rocky reminds us –

‘That’s how winning is done!’

If you're looking for support to overcome the challenges life throws your way, to break free from self-doubt and start believing in yourself, I invite you to start by exploring my book, 'How did I get here?' In it, I talk about the reasons behind our often lack of self-trust and share actionable steps to help you conquer those limiting beliefs.

However, if you are eager to deepen your personal growth, don't miss out on the companion workbook I've thoughtfully created to complement the book's insights.

And if you're ready to finally break free from your past and start living a life where you can be true to yourself then my new course, Be Yourself, is what you need.

Click here to learn more about this truly transformational course.