Sylvester Stallone's Take On Success

Author's note: I decided to take a break from politics for this post. We could all use it! Keep the Stallone family in your thoughts because Sylvester's mother recently passed away.

"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 is gonna 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 gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!" ~Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa

Out of any Hollywood star, Sylvester Stallone is considered one of the greats. Not just because of his acting or his movies, but because of his story to fame. He's always been an inspirational person, and definitely one of my role models. I admire him greatly, especially how he's one of the only celebrities who don't go shoving their opinions down your throat. His quotes have been incredibly motivating. I'm actually going to use the quote from the image above for my graduation cap! 

In my Leading Organizations class, we had to choose 2-3 leaders, and describe 5 of John C. Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. One of my leaders was Sylvester Stallone. I did well on the assignment, but until I did my research, I learned how great a leader Stallone is. He had a lot to overcome throughout his life, since birth. Stallone's mother needed an emergency C-section, but when the doctors used forceps to pull Sylvester out of his mom's womb, they hit a nerve that paralyzed the lower left side of his face. This accident is what caused his signature slur and the "slant" of his face. This caused him to be blacklisted from Hollywood, because they had a certain image of how actors should look (go figure). He had to live on the streets, sell his wife's jewelry and his dog. Stallone said he cried when he left his dog. Stallone struggled to become an actor. No agent would take him. I read he was rejected over 1,000 times!! When Sylvester auditioned for a role in The Godfather, he was told his speech and his looks was why he didn't get the role. Despite this rejection, Stallone used this to write Rocky. He wrote his life's story with Rocky. 

Once he finished, he knew only he could play Rocky Balboa. No production company would take Stallone's movie. Finally, he was offered $225,000 for the script, but he couldn't play Balboa. Stallone, still a struggling actor, refused. He knew he was the right person for Rocky, and couldn't envision anyone else in the role. He was then offered $35,000 for the movie script, and he could play the role of Rocky Balboa. Most people in Stallone's position, if they were dead-broke, would have accepted the $225,000. But if Sylvester did that, he probably wouldn't have been the success he is today. This is a true testament of how determination shines. His intuition told him this movie was going to be a huge hit, and that he was the right person for the role. Sure enough, it paid off. Rocky made around $2.5 million. Stallone still had a lot to overcome, especially when his second son, Seargeoh Stallone, was diagnosed with Autism. It wasn't easy, but Sly knew how to be there for his son. He's been very real about the struggle he had raising Seargeoh.

Sylvester Stallone's story is a message to us all: never give up. Even when things seem rough, you have to persevere. In his Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa was always the underdog, the one everyone underestimated, out for the count. We can overcome. We have to take responsibility for our own success. You also have to believe in yourself, even if everyone won't believe in you. Because of his belief in himself and his determination, Stallone's one of the greatest actors of our time. Sylvester Stallone is my favorite actor, and you can see why. In a generation where no one wants to work hard, a, we need to follow the example of people like Sylvester Stallone. His success story is similar to my father's. Humbleness is something we can take away from Stallone as well. He is very humble and genuine. Stallone is one of the hardest working actors, even today. Despite being 74, he is still making incredible movies and able to work out like a beast. Sly is the man!!

Is there a celebrity or someone you consider a role model who you look up to? Comment down!!