Growing up, I think that the Rocky franchise was one of my all-time favorite film series, right behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones of course. Those other stories notwithstanding the story of Rocky Balboa is one that has influenced me as an adult probably more than any other film to date. The reason is because it is the most relatable. Not just to me as a fighter, but to all of us as people. Rocky is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and becoming the best version of ourselves. Spoilers if you haven’t seen the original film, that means being the best version of yourself even in defeat!
Rocky Balboa, the sixth installment into the ever-aging franchise many not have been the best with regards to story and realism, but what it does have is one of the most quotable pieces of spoken dialogue ever delivered on film, and definitely the best that actor Sylvester Stallone has ever mumbled out.
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But 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!”
― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa
That abbreviated piece of motivational ear candy has stuck with me since I first saw the film, and I see it reiterated to me every day I'm in the Inner Strength Martial Arts gym; my coach loved it so much that he had it painted on the wall. It’s something that can be applied literally and metaphorically for fighters and people. However, most people will never fully grasp it even when the moment is upon them that they need to the most.
Here is the bottom line. Life is hard, it’s very hard. Not only is life hard, but it is random, full of clutter, noise, and chaos. You can make all the right decisions, construct detailed plans of action, and then move to execute only to have some unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstance completely derail you from your objective. People in the military know this too well; hence the common saying, “No plan survives first contact.” Such is the case of life.
For me, I live a very routine existence. I work overnights, I nap, I train four hours a day, I read, I write, and I eat. Repeat. This is my daily ritual and slight deviations from this ritual throw me into a vortex of frustrating confusion. For example, for the better part of the last five weeks my Jeep Grand Cherokee has fallen apart. Each week it is some new, dead lining deficiency. One week it was the starter, then it was the water pump, then it was the tires, now it’s the starter again, and let’s not even mention the brake pads that haven’t been changed yet. At some point the bank account goes dry, the vacation fund is pillaged, bills are left unpaid, the vehicle remains unpredictable, and one begins catastrophizing about missing rent, getting evicted, and going hungry. Additionally, I have only trained for one day this entire week due to these extenuating circumstances and my need to punch something is beginning to peak.
But I digress.
The point is that life is a dirty boxer that likes to sucker punch and take shots at the liver. You’re not going to knock life out, so you’re only option is to go the distance. Don’t let life beat you down, accept what you can control and what you can’t. Regroup, shift left, and attack. Eventually the round will end and you will be the one getting your hand raised.
It’s you versus life, go out undefeated.
