Seen any decent movies lately?

On the last plane trip I took before the madness started, I had the pleasure of watching 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic.  In hindsight, I now see a new wrinkle in the poetic beauty of this resilient masterpiece.

Sylvester “Sly” Stallone, the writer, creator, and star of the Rocky franchise,  brilliantly narrates the film over raw footage from the set of the original Rocky.  The story is an incredible testament to the perseverance and tenacity necessary to get the film off the ground. But there was one scene in the documentary that spoke to the resilience and selflessness needed in our current world order.

Stallone was maniacally focused on creating the most realistic fight scenes possible.  Most other boxing movies prior to “Rocky” did not obsess over the technical aspects of the boxers.  Stallone insisted on choreographing every punch and dodge with pinpoint precision.  He left nothing to chance.  Both Stallone and NFL linebacker-turned-actor Carl Weathers spent multiple extra hours working on their craft.  They went above and beyond the standard of the day.  Stallone believed it would produce a magical result that would set the film apart as a classic.

But he didn’t know.  There was no way to prove the massive sacrifice, inconvenience and hard work would translate to success.  People doubted him and told him he was wasting his time and money.  He couldn’t immediately see the fruits of his labor.  But he did what he believed was right.  And the rest is history.

And how many of us have made similar sacrifices in our lives?

We Have to Believe

Perhaps we invested in a small client we believed had massive potential.  Perhaps we took an inexperienced employee under our wing.  Perhaps we worked with our children over and over again on a particular sport or academic subject.  Perhaps we practiced with dedication and intensity without any promise of playing in a game.  Perhaps we conducted innumerable experiments to test an unproven theory.  Perhaps we persevered through challenging times in a relationship.  We couldn’t see the immediate fruits of our labor.  There was no guarantee of success.  And yet we woke up, dusted ourselves off, and did it all over again in spite of the uncertainty.

Are we gluttons for punishment?   Are we hurtling hopelessly down a dead-end path? Why put forth the intense effort if it all might be in vain?  Because, at the core, we are resilient creatures.  We believe in our struggle. We see the benefit of hard work in pursuit of our dreams.  We have faith that our cause, our vocation, our dream, our loved ones are worth the investment and the struggle.  And even if we spectacularly fail, we know there are no losers when we open up our soul and lay everything on the line in pursuit of our beliefs.

If we have doggedly pursued our goals and failed, it will give us the strength to fight again.  And again.  And again.   And we will eventually see the incredible benefits of our sacrifice.

We Have a Few More Rounds to Go

And now we are facing an even bigger struggle.  And a larger sacrifice.  Millions of people across the globe are sheltering in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  Our lives are disrupted and there is an enormous ripple effect around our neighborhood and around the world.  Everyone has a story of sacrifice to tell.  And, despite the sacrifice,  we can’t see the immediate fruits of our effort.  How is sitting on our couch going to save the world?

But we have to have faith.  We have to believe that what we are doing is right in the long run.  We have to personalize the cause and fight for it the same way we would fight for our vocation, our dreams, and our loved ones.  This is all about resilience in the face of the great unknown.  It’s our time to make a difference. 

Sly Stallone had no guarantee his sacrifice and maniacal focus on the mundane would translate into massive box-office success.  But he believed.  And he was willing to lay everything on the line to fight for his cause.  And so it is with all of us.

Any time we pursue a goal without a guaranteed outcome we are demonstrating resilience.  And now is a time that requires a reservoir of resilience, patience, and faith.  We have to channel our inner Stallone.  We have to stand tall in the face of adversity.  We have to believe.

We have a few more rounds to go.   But our sacrifice will be worth it.   Breathe.  Together, we will knock this thing out once and for all.