MetroStyles
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- May 4, 2006
- Messages
- 14,586
- Reaction score
- 30
As I sat watching Rocky II and III Saturday morning, I realized that having a defined and lofty goal is what the Rocky series is all about. In Rocky II, the down-and-out boxer finds a burning desire to make it to the top and defeat his arch-rival. He has one image in his mind, one vision that he wakes up for in the morning and one vision that he keeps in his head while he spends countless hours training and going through the pain each day. That's the image of Apollo Creed on the floor, knocked out and Rocky triumphant with his arms in the air in front of thousands of screaming fans.
In Rocky III, his goal is a variation of the above but just as relevant. As the once-content king of boxing, Rocky falls from grace after losing to the Mike Tyson-esque Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Having lost all confidence in himself, Rocky is a shell of what he once was. But with a little help from his now friend Apollo, Rocky regains the edge and makes it his one goal in life to regain his stolen manhood. Rocky II was about the desire for something he never had - Rocky III was about not being able to look at himself in the mirror without getting it all back.
The reason I post this is that the Rocky series helped me realize why different people have different amounts of success in this world. Essentially, there are three types of people out there:
1) Those with no goals, who just meander throughout their lives. This is probably the majority of the population.
2) Those who want to be "successful" but do not have specific and tangible goals for themselves. They will read self-help books and work out, have a good career, but will not make it to the top, or to 'greatness' per se. This category also includes those people who will say that "just being happy" or "having good health and a loving family" are their goals.
3) Those select few, like Rocky, who have ONE BURNING DESIRE in their mind's eye. Something they live for - where failure is neither an option nor a consideration. All of their energy focuses on this one vision.
This message board seems to be populated with people who are more ambitious than average, so I would say most of us probably fit in the second category. This is a good place to be, but to accomplish something special in life one has to venture to the third level. How much harder would you work at the gym if your goal was to become the world's best boxer? How much harder would you genuinely work in the office if you goal was to become CEO of your firm within ten years?
For some people, their burning desire is money/power. People like Donald Trump, for example. Now, a lot of people want money and power, but they do not have the fervor for it that someone like Trump has. For someone like Michael Jordan, the goal was to become the best basketball player in history. You can be sure that he spent more hours training, doing drills, and shooting jumpers than any of his peers. The same can be said for someone like Tiger Woods.
But what about the rest of us? Those of us who do not have a Championship to play for, or the capital or time to build an empire like some billionaire magnate? I for one believe that there are no limits on what we can do, only self-limiting beliefs. If there is no adversity in your life, you need to create adversity in it by setting an extremely ambitious and difficult goal to achieve. It is hard to find a passion without this adversity or perceived adversity in your mind. The best way to lose your drive is to become content, to become comfortable.
With all that being said, what drives you? Why are you getting up in the morning every day? What inspires you to do what you do, or are you just going through the motions? Think about, and let us know!
In Rocky III, his goal is a variation of the above but just as relevant. As the once-content king of boxing, Rocky falls from grace after losing to the Mike Tyson-esque Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Having lost all confidence in himself, Rocky is a shell of what he once was. But with a little help from his now friend Apollo, Rocky regains the edge and makes it his one goal in life to regain his stolen manhood. Rocky II was about the desire for something he never had - Rocky III was about not being able to look at himself in the mirror without getting it all back.
The reason I post this is that the Rocky series helped me realize why different people have different amounts of success in this world. Essentially, there are three types of people out there:
1) Those with no goals, who just meander throughout their lives. This is probably the majority of the population.
2) Those who want to be "successful" but do not have specific and tangible goals for themselves. They will read self-help books and work out, have a good career, but will not make it to the top, or to 'greatness' per se. This category also includes those people who will say that "just being happy" or "having good health and a loving family" are their goals.
3) Those select few, like Rocky, who have ONE BURNING DESIRE in their mind's eye. Something they live for - where failure is neither an option nor a consideration. All of their energy focuses on this one vision.
This message board seems to be populated with people who are more ambitious than average, so I would say most of us probably fit in the second category. This is a good place to be, but to accomplish something special in life one has to venture to the third level. How much harder would you work at the gym if your goal was to become the world's best boxer? How much harder would you genuinely work in the office if you goal was to become CEO of your firm within ten years?
For some people, their burning desire is money/power. People like Donald Trump, for example. Now, a lot of people want money and power, but they do not have the fervor for it that someone like Trump has. For someone like Michael Jordan, the goal was to become the best basketball player in history. You can be sure that he spent more hours training, doing drills, and shooting jumpers than any of his peers. The same can be said for someone like Tiger Woods.
But what about the rest of us? Those of us who do not have a Championship to play for, or the capital or time to build an empire like some billionaire magnate? I for one believe that there are no limits on what we can do, only self-limiting beliefs. If there is no adversity in your life, you need to create adversity in it by setting an extremely ambitious and difficult goal to achieve. It is hard to find a passion without this adversity or perceived adversity in your mind. The best way to lose your drive is to become content, to become comfortable.
With all that being said, what drives you? Why are you getting up in the morning every day? What inspires you to do what you do, or are you just going through the motions? Think about, and let us know!
