I don’t even like boxing, but I must tell you, I learned a lot from Rocky and Sylvester Stallone about creating your own success. In anticipation of the sixth sequel to the Rocky series, ‘Rocky Balboa,’ my husband and I watched all five Rocky movies (we even watched four in a row one day!) To catch up on character development and his story. . This is pretty basic: the helpless hero experiences tough times, receives a challenge that questions his manhood and his sense of what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, intense training scenes showing incredible physique and a close fight scene and lasts with a sense of well-being. ” victory ‘for Rocky, the’ hero of the people ‘.

It is not the story line or the movies themselves that is as much an inspiration as Sylvester Stallone’s own story from poverty to riches as a punk, who is not an actor or screenwriter or billionaire writer and director of one of the most successful movie series.

With $ 106 remaining in his bank account, Stallone offered his script for ‘Rocky’ to various producers. He wanted to sell the script and star in the title role. The producers turned him down as the lead, but offered him $ 50,000 for the script. They didn’t think he was a profitable star – too ugly, too short, and too funny talking to be a good lead actor. They wanted to cast Ryan O’Neal, who enjoyed boxing, or Burt Reynolds or Paul Newman or Steve McQueen or Al Pacino.

$ 50,000 was a lot of money considering he had so little cash and a pregnant wife to take care of. However, old man Sly stood his ground and refused to take the deal without the lead role. The offers for the script continued to rise, but without the offer of the protagonist. Stallone says of the negotiations,

“I made a simple statement to my agent and everyone who would listen, that I would rather burn the script, that I would first bury the script, that I would first throw the script into the sea and make it explode than having someone else play Rocky.” Yes the price went up to half a million, if the price went up to a million, “I said,” No sale. “” Finally, the producers came to my side and used their influence to convince United Artists to accept me. The script went to Arthur Krim, Eric Pleskow, Mike Medavoy and the entire top echelon of the United Artists organization and finally came the word from above that it was a “go” for a million dollars. Not a penny more, not a penny less. One million dollars! “

Rocky then won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976.

Okay so how does this help you on your own personal development journey, you might be wondering? It is not as far-fetched as it may seem at first. Regardless of whether you like Rocky or not, there are some valuable lessons from Rocky and old Sly on being the director of your own life movie.

1. Know that you are the director of your own movie Life. When Stallone wrote Rocky, he wrote the role himself. It was his story and it was his role. There was no way he was going to leave it to anyone else, even if the script was buried for lack of buyers. His commitment went beyond the temptation to sell himself: he had an unshakable faith that this was the right thing to do for him and for his life. The universe rewarded his clear and true intentions with massive rewards. For Stallone, it was never about the money, it was about the expression of his life’s passion.

Imagine for a moment that you can create your own world, just like Sylvester Stallone did in Rocky. This is the truth that Stallone knew and that you too must accept: you are the DIRECTOR of your life. You ARE creating it every moment. You are the screenwriter, director, producer and actor of The Movie of Your Life. However, many people are unconscious directors, believing that life just happens; they believe they are actors in someone else’s movie (God’s? Government? Their parents?), with little to say about the direction, content, and genre of the movie’s production.

To understand that you are the director of your own movie Life, you need to feel this conviction in your bones like Stallone – you have to know on a cellular level that you are in charge of writing, directing, producing and executing your film. life’s own movie.

Now is the time for you to reclaim your role as the director of the movie Your Life and continue to live the coolest version of your life.

2. Choose the genre for your Life movie. Let your passion be your driving force. Stallone explains how he discovered the passion that drove his success. He searched for his feelings. He wondered, “What did I really enjoy watching on screen? I enjoyed the heroism. I enjoyed the great love. I enjoyed the stories of dignity, of courage, of man’s ability to rise above his position and take control. Life down the neck and don’t let it go until I get it. ” This was Rocky’s story and Stallone’s as well.

What do YOU ​​want to experience? What do you like? What are your favorite movies and why?

How would you describe your life now? A tragedy? A comedy? An adventure? How would you like it to be from now on?

Knowing the subject and genre in general will guide you through the creative process.

3. Feelings make the blockbuster. One of my employers once said, “If you can make them laugh and cry in a movie, you have a winner.” The movies that are successful are the ones that make you feel something deeply and strongly, be it joy, terror, euphoria, inspiration, sadness, or any combination of the above. A film that reproduces your feelings like a violin is one that captures the hearts and imaginations of its viewers.

Your life is also like this: it is the feelings that make you have a good time or not. You choose experiences (consciously or not) that allow you to feel the full range of human emotions. This is what we are here on the planet for: enjoying the journey of human feelings.

Sylvester Stallone was very clear about what he wanted his viewers to experience when he wrote Rocky: He wanted people to be inspired by the little one who succeeds despite the odds. Some of the other emotions that I wanted people to experience were:

* Pathos – compassion for the poor downtrodden hero

* Suspense: will he fight? Who will he fight? How will you fight? Is going to win?

* Inspiration: Very funky music and cool workouts showcasing the most inhumane training regimen – try doing a one-armed push-up!

* Fear: will your face be pushed back through a chair? Will it have brain damage?

* Exhilaration: Rocky triumphs despite the odds, displaying astonishing spirit and stamina.

* Joy- Rocky wins and shares everything with the woman he loves.

What feelings do you want to experience in your movie Life? Joy? Joy? Liberty? Creativity? Passion? Curiosity? Knowledge? Inspiration? Fear? Horror? Bread? What have you experienced so far? Do you want more of the same or something different?

4. Write the script. Knowing what he wanted to experience in movies and the kinds of feelings he wanted viewers to feel, Stallone wrote the script to produce these results.

Write the script for your movie Life. Pick a date in the future, maybe 5 years, or 10 years or 20, whatever seems fun to you, and write a text of what happened in your Life Movie. The most important thing to include are the feelings you experienced throughout the entire process. Joy, challenge, euphoria – write it all in vivid detail. Tell the story, put lots of details in vibrant colors, textures, characters, flavors, smells – the more descriptive you can make the script, the easier it will be to translate it into reality.

Review the script once you’ve written it. How do you feel when you read it? Do you experience the full range of emotions you want? Does it feel exciting? Sound like a life worth living? If you have a resounding ‘yes’ answer to each of those questions, then you are in for a winner.

5. Get the music right. Nothing brings a script more life than music. There was no coincidence that ‘Eye of the Tiger’ featured heavily in one of Rocky’s movies. This was loud, throbbing music that makes you want to jump and run a long flight of stairs and do backwards sit-ups. Check out any Rocky fan’s I pod, and they have Eye of the Tiger there for their gym workout.
Choose music that evokes the feelings of your Life movie. Play it often: in the car, at home, at the gym. This will keep you connected to the creation and production of your Life Movie.

6. Recruit a production team. Very few movies are made by just one person. You need a whole team. You need people on your team who are in line with your vision, theme, and passion. If they don’t match, remove them from your crew.

Check if you have the right crew:

Friends who support your goals or are on similar paths

Family that is as excited as you are about the possibilities of your movie Life

A mentor to serve as a role model, one who has made a similar movie and achieved the results you want.

A coach to guide you through obstacles and setbacks and to point out how to improve (do I have to include Rocky’s obvious coach, “Mickey” as an allusion here?)

Specialists in any technical area to get the best of you: business coach, accountant, financial planner, nutritionist, massage therapist, personal trainer, image designer, travel agent.

Equipment is an incredibly important component to the successful production and delivery of your Life Movie. Make sure you have the right people.

7. Enjoy it. Creating the movie of your life should be a joyous process. It’s not just about reaching the end by pressing ‘play’. True joy is in the creative process, the delight, the surprises, and the miracles that happen along the way as you commit to creating the masterpiece that is your life.

For more information on Stallone and Rocky, visit http://www.sylvesterstallone.com

Copyright 2007 Zoe Routh, Inner Compass