Would You Sell Your Dog?
I am of the Rocky generation. I must have watched those movies 100 times when I was young.
It all came back to me when I watched the 2006 Rocky Balboa movie recently.
It's the one where Rocky comes out of retirement to have one last crack at it even though he is something like 60 years old.
It’s a bit corny yes, however, this movie has one of my favourite quotes ever in it...
“It ain't about how hard ya 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!"
I love that quote - and if you know Sylvester Stallone's backstory, you’ll know this quote is his life.
He has the ultimate rags to riches story.
Before his big break, he had to sleep rough in New York City. Even had to sell his dog (his best friend in the world) for a measly $25 because he couldn't afford to feed it any longer.
But his burning desire was to be a movie star. It possessed him.
His moment of inspiration came as he watched Mohammed Ali pummel Chuck Wepner. That fight ignited something within him and he wrote the script for the first Rocky in 20 hours straight after watching that fight.
He pitched the script to countless movie producers who laughed him out of the room..... too predictable, too corny.
Eventually, one studio agreed to run it.
They offered $125,000 for the script.
Stallone turned it down. He didn't just want to sell the script. He wanted to star in the movie.
This was even more ludicrous.
A successful movie needed a big star. At the time he was a nobody who mumbled out the side of his mouth and had the perfect face for radio.
The producers still wanted the script and upped the offer to $350,000 but Stallone wasn't interested. His dream was to be a movie star...not a scriptwriter.
Eventually, the producers relented but the deal would be only $35,000 if Stallone was going to be Rocky.
The movie was made on a shoestring budget in just 28 days. It should have been a flop. Instead, it grossed $225 million and won best picture at the Oscars.
What a story.
But here's the big takeaway...
Rocky would never have been made, Stallone would never have become a mega movie star and the dream would have withered away had it not been for one thing.
Stallone stayed true to his AUTHENTIC self.
He wanted to be a movie star. Nothing else. Not a writer. Not a director. Not a bit part actor. A movie star.
See, the thing is, when you have a dream or goal that’s connected to your true authentic self, NOTHING will stop you. You won't be able to let up on it. Nothing will stand in your way - and as the man himself said: “No matter how hard you get hit, you'll keep moving forward”.
- After getting his payment of $35K, Stallone returned to the liquor store where he sold his dog and waited for 3 straight days until the guy who bought it from him returned. He had to pay $15K and give the guy a part in Rocky just to get his dog back.
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