YO ADRIAN!

Sylvester Stallone has made so many good movies, Tango & Cash is even a decent B movie. In his movies, he sprinkles gems of quotes and scenes.

The Rocky movies in particular have so many inspiring moments and quotes. A few of my favorite quotes are “Fighters fight” and “It ain’t about how hard you 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.” Gives me goosebumps just reading it…

Rocky is a loved character for his heart and his indomitable will. He is a fighter who fights, standing toe to toe with any opponent (like Mr. T and Drago - geez, they were gigantic monsters) and believing in himself. Despite being repeatedly knocked down, he would rise and never stop moving forward. He refused to give up. His setbacks were only opportunities to show his heart and will. Grit welcomes setbacks, those setbacks give us a chance to brush them off and keep moving forward. Don’t stay down, get up and keep at it. You have that same heart and will and in moving forward, you will learn and grow. And that’s the point, be challenged enough that you get knocked down, then get up and learn from it, and be better.

One of his less appreciated movies is Over the Top. Lincoln Hawk is a trucker who earns some side money as an arm wrestler and is rebuilding his relationship with his son. Throughout the movie he has several arm wrestling matches and in the moments before he locks hands, he takes his ballcap and turns it backwards. Lincoln explained in the movie that “What I do is just try to take my hat and I turn it around, and it’s like a switch that goes on. And when the switch goes on, I feel like another person…” That was his switch, his routine, his way of preparing for the moment. And beyond that, he gave himself permission to become another version of himself. A truck that cannot be stopped. In Grit Coaching, we spend a lot of time on the Ready Ritual Tool - preparing for the moment - and finding those switches that work for you.

Thank you to Sylvester for those important Grit lessons. (No thank you for making Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!, that needs to be forgotten.)

Get Gritty!