Out of the Vault...a Classic

Americans love watching movies. Romance, action, thrillers, we want them to make us laugh, cry and keep us on the edge of our seat. Then, when everything is quiet, they scare the heck out of us! Movies take us out of our own reality and put us into a fictional character’s life. They help us remember faith, hope and love are real and always win. Who doesn’t love to be inspired by a good movie? Not too long ago, I watched a movie that had a profound impact on me. The first time I saw the film I missed it, but the second time I got it. Rocky Balboa comes back for a final Rocky movie. He is older, his wife has passed, his son is his own man and now he needs to fight one last time. The film never made it big like the previous Rocky films. It never even made it to the top of the charts. Through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, Rocky inspired us. You have to admit, after watching a Rocky movie you could tackle just about anything! His son has just learned his dad is going to fight and he is not happy about it. The two are talking at night, outside of Rocky’s restaurant. Over the years, his son has become a victim to life and wants to talk his dad out of fighting. As the mood builds, the next words that Rocky says are life changing: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody will hit as hard as life… but 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! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth but you have to be willing to take the hit and pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you want to be because of him or her or anybody is what cowards do and that ain’t you, you’re better than that!” This is life 101 folks! “It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Rocky’s statement to his son was so hard hitting, it stopped me in my tracks! Every man and woman who has ever achieved great things in their life would all agree with this statement. What happens, happens to all of us. The question is, will you keep moving forward? You need to watch the movie if you haven’t already.. Life is about getting up after you have been beaten down. If you can accomplish this, you will be far ahead of the pack. Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.

Everything Changes

I have a family member whom I have repeatedly heard say, “I like me the way I am, there is no reason to change, I am staying this way.” Not willing to change… Huh. I beg to differ on that, everything changes regardless. In general, people do not like change. Yet everywhere around us, change is happening. The town and cities we live in are constantly changing. Our bodies grow older every minute, young kids get taller and the cars we drive wear out. So, everything around us is in a constant state of change…so does this mean we are too? Here is a thought to ponder: does money change people or does it simply magnify what is already there? Does addiction change people, or does it only show what is already within? Does love change people or…well, you get the picture. People say that change is hard, yet things change all the time, all around us. Everyday, trees grow taller and grass grows longer. Seasons change, the weather changes, our clothes wear out, our hearing weakens, our weight is up or down, and worst yet, our hair falls out and or turns grey! (I can relate to both of those.) The more I think of these, the more I realize the list of change could go on forever. From everything I can see, people don’t resist change, they resist being changed. This makes more sense. When it is our choice to change, we can even like it. Losing weight, starting a new job or career, making a new relationship or implementing new habits are all change and we embrace them. Notice how people enjoy the season of fall. They embrace it! The leaves turn beautiful colors, vegetation becomes green again and the warm nights are replaced with crisp, cool air. That is change if I ever saw it. So what is it so many people resist when it comes to change? Most emotions and feelings are based on two factors, security and fear. Our nature is to hang on to what we have while feeling comfortable having it. If we like what we have, why change it? After all, changing could mean loss and that is fearful. To a degree, refusing to change is selfish. Nature and all else around us constantly change. In fact, change is beneficial in many ways. Think about the farmer who plants a crop. He is banking on the changing weather to aid him in producing a harvest. Our society is largely dependent on seasons for travel, while our reservoirs and dams use snow runoff for the benefit of irrigation and summer activities. It’s not that we don’t like change; we just don’t want others changing us. In fact, we need change. Our lives are dependent on it. Better off to accept it and embrace it, if you haven’t already. Have a blessed Friday everyone.