Don't be afraid to pivot

The film Rocky is a brilliant story of resilience. The down-and-out fighter who clings to a single thread of hope and earns his shot at something better. It became an all-time classic and launched Sylvester Stallone’s career… but the story of its creator might be the greater lesson.

Stallone was born with nerve damage that left part of his face paralyzed. He had an uneven smile and slurred speech, making him easy prey for bullies. This stacked the odds against him from an early age, which would become a theme that drove his greatest work.

By his twenties, Stallone was chasing acting gigs in New York. Rejection after rejection. He was told his face was wrong, his speech too strange, his look too tough. Acting, he once said, “has a 97% unemployment rate.” And he was in the majority of that percentage.

Without much success, he was living in a tiny apartment, couldn’t afford heating, and had to sell his beloved dog for $40 just to buy food. He even took a role in an adult film for $200 to pay the rent!

And here’s the turning point that changed it all…. recognizing that no one would cast him, Stallone decided that he’d have to write himself a part that would get noticed. So he became an usher at a movie theatre to watch films all day long. He’d study the films, working out what worked and what didn’t and he began to learn what it takes to write an amazing film.

“Acting didn’t get me here. Writing did.” - Sylvester Stallone

The birth of Rocky.

One night, he watched a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and a little-known fighter named Chuck Wepner. Wepner wasn’t supposed to stand a chance, but he lasted a massive fifteen rounds and even knocked Ali down once.

That story of Wepner hit Stallone right in the gut. A universal message of the underdog, but this time the underdog completely refuses to quit. Stallone started writing and he finished the Rocky script in three days.

When he started shopping it around, studios loved the script, but they didn’t love him. They offered $25,000 just for the script, then $100,000, then $250,000, and finally $350,000…it was an unimaginable sum for a man who couldn’t afford food and had to sell his dog to survive.

But each time, Stallone said no. He wouldn’t sell the script unless he was the one to play Rocky Balboa.

The studios wanted Robert Redford and others. Anyone but him. But Stallone dug his heels in because he believed in the story, and this was his only ticket to an acting career. That was the real mission.

Eventually, the studio caved. They gave him a small budget which included enough salary so that he could buy back his dog (who starred in the film). Rocky went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

A man who once couldn’t get an acting gig became the face of one of the most iconic resilience stories of all time.

Stallone’s story of resilience

Rocky might be considered a boxing film, but it’s really about the endurance that bubbles up when the world tells us we’re not enough, and we keep swinging anyway. Rocky doesn’t even win the fight in the movie - his victory is just in the fact that he’s in the ring competing. This is the thread that pulls through from Stallone’s own life.

We should teach this stuff in school. It’s the kind of journey that translates directly into life, leadership, and also work.

Here are the ideas worth considering:

1. There’s value in failure. Stallone was rejected as an actor hundreds of times before Rocky, but he didn’t see failure as proof that he couldn’t act. Instead, he saw it as direction. It was a message that he needed to pivot towards writing and creating his own opportunity. It’s rooted in an awareness that we all need. What is each challenge teaching us, and where can we shift focus?

2. Don’t be afraid to pivot. The idea here is to not to simply switch things up, but rather to always try to be anchored to purpose. When acting didn’t work, Stallone changed his approach. He stopped waiting for permission and found another way in. This is critical in today’s world of so much change. We must be willing to look at things with a new perspective to find other ways in. Once we know the “why,” we can shift the “how.” Thinking about this in the modern day job market, the days of sending in a great resume are sadly over - we need to network, be active on LinkedIn, hustle to various events, upskill….and so much more.

3. Educate like life depends on it. When he couldn’t get roles, Stallone became a student of film. He spent days watching movies over and over, studying what worked and what didn’t. We need to do the same. It’s hard in today’s busy world, but even one hour a week to learn or sharpen a craft makes a difference. Learn deliberately because our growth is our responsibility.

4. Bet on yourself. From selling his dog to standing his ground, Stallone embodied what it means to bet on yourself when no one else will. He understood that if we compromise on our values once, we’ll do it again. We all have our own boundaries and internal beliefs. If those beliefs are dwindling, let’s inject some positive self-talk. And if we’re compromising on something right now that doesn’t align, let’s draw a line in the sand and protect it fiercely.

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” This line comes from Rocky Balboa…the 6th film in the Rocky franchise. But it sums up resilience perfectly. Resilience is not the absence of pain, but the ability to keep going through it.

Stallone lived that line.

You being here at the end of this newsletter, you’re living it too. You’re here, betting on yourself, leveling up for the next thing, even if it’s just to be in a better mood for the day ahead. And that’s what it’s all about.

Until next time friends, keep swinging.

Carré @ Resilient Minds

PS - if you like this one, you might also like my story of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I use examples like this throughout my keynote presentations to dive deeper into how we can build resilience at work and beyond. Reply here is you’d like to know more.