Life lessons from Rocky Balboa

I’m a big fan of the Rocky Balboa film series with Sylvester Stallone.

Although Rocky is a fictional character, over the course of the series he has shared some excellent bits of wisdom with the world and in this daily thought I’ll be sharing 3 of my favourites.

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 is gonna hit as hard as life.

Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give… it’s about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.

Remember, the mind is your best muscle. Big arms can move rocks, but words can move mountains.

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The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude about the problem

Taken straight from the philosophy of Captain Jack Sparrow and a sentence I regularly visit.

We all have challenges and pressures in life that we can allow to get on top of us and feel like we have no way out. I sometimes allow myself to be driven by anxiety, so over worrying and doomsday scenarios are a daily normality for me.

The ability to take a step back and re-frame what’s actually in front of me in the present has been a powerful tool and most of the time I find that the problem is not the real problem.

Why not take a new approach and re frame your mindset to tackle what you may have convinced yourself to be the unjust problem? maybe you’ll find it was not the real problem after all.

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What it is to be alive

The sun reaching across the branches of a tree, the pain overcome from the tribulations conquered, that feeling of enjoyment, of love with/from another – this is what it means to be alive.

It’s a cliche in today’s world, yet living in the moment is all we can truly do.

It provides perspective on what is and what we have in that tiny piece of time, so be grateful for it, appreciate it and feel what it is to be alive.

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Identify a want or a need

Do you really need those Nike super AirMax limited edition trainers? Will they impact your life in a positive way and not damage other areas?

Is this a want or a need?

Whenever you look to make a purchase, always ask yourself – is this a want or a need? Do you need xyz to survive or do I just want it and if I do just want it – can I afford it and will it impact me for the better?

Always challenge yourself, am I making the right choice in my current circumstances or am I practicing self sabotage?

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Stop trying to hack everything

Life hack, mind hacks, body hacks – is there no end to the hacks?

Instead of trying to find some way to get the top results in the fastest possible way and ignoring the principle of learning how to really achieve the thing you want – actually do the work and take on the tough road ahead.

Our culture of “hacking” is coming at a price of missing out on key learning experiences that let you develop the knowledge and practices you need to achieve a goal. Hacks are fast track methods to quick short term wins, the long game and hard Road is where long term wins are made.