Last time you learned about how powerful believing in yourself could be and more importantly about what can happen when you instil that power of belief into your very own mind. When you start living from the belief that you have a gift, you start acting from that belief, and when you start acting from that belief, change not only becomes possible, it becomes inevitable. You see, you really do hold the key to your own success, but...

Unfortunately, this is where most of you get stuck, because you simply don't believe it's possible for you or that your gift is worthy of sharing. Oh, sure it might be possible for someone else, but just not for you. Others might be able to pull off the whole "wearing the underwear on the outside of their pants" look, but not you.

So how do we acquire this "secret unlocking, belief establishing, I can do it, share my gift" mindset?

It all starts with the thoughts you put in your mind and that begins with how you talk to yourself. How do you currently speak to yourself right now? Do you say things like

• I am good enough
• I do have those skills
• I am smart enough
• I am worthy enough
• I am deserving enough
• I have all the necessary resources
• I can do it!

Imagine what would happen if you did. What would you be capable of if you removed the belief that you couldn't and replaced it with the belief that you could? Well you can and coaching can help.

 

And that is where I would like to start today, by telling you the story of someone who had been told over and over again that he could not have the life of his dreams and that what he wanted wasn't possible for him. He was told "whatever you have, no one seems to be in the market for,"  "there is no call for your particular type," and "you seem to require special handling." But instead of "believing" the opinions of others he chose to believe in himself.

 

That person was Sylvester Stallone, and I'll admit that one of my favourite movies of all time is Rocky. Now one might say that as far as acting talent goes Sylvester Stallone will never be compared to Tom Hanks or Marlon Brando, but it's not his screen presence that I find most interesting. It's the story of how he became one of Hollywood's most powerful people despite this so-called lack of talent. I'm more interested in what he believed.

 

It's been said that at the time the Rocky project (1976) was given the green light by producer Irwin Winkler, Sly had only $106 in his bank account. A $106 bucks, that's it, with a wife at home, the wolf at the door, and nothing coming over the hill!

 

Sly was a virtual newcomer to Hollywood, an unknown and yet there he was taking his best shot. It's said he wrote the screen play for Rocky in just 3 ½ days and when he took it to Irwin Winkler they offered him $75,000 to purchase the script but they wanted someone else to play the main character.

 

He refused.

 

The producers wanted someone credible to play the role, someone like Ryan O'Neil, Burt Reynolds or Paul Newman, maybe even Steve McQueen or Al Pacino but definitely not Sylvester Stallone, a "no one" who nobody had ever heard of before (now I sound like Rocky Balboa). 

 

Their offer went up to $125,000.

 

He declined.

 

It went to $200,000, $210,000, $235,000, $245,000, then $255,000 and finally $265,000. They told him he was crazy, take the money! He replied by saying, "I know I'm crazy, but it's incurable."

 

What was he thinking? They were offering him a quarter of a million dollars in 1976, and yet he was turning it down. What internal conversation of belief was he having within himself that allowed him to hold out for an offer that he felt was right?

 

Well, Sly said it was no longer about the money. This was about his story and his inability to be recognized for all those years as a struggling writer and actor. He had something great in his hands and in his heart and he knew it! He believed this 1000%.

 

This was now more than just about the money, this was about standing up for his Values, for who he was as a person, and for what he Believed. This was about the opportunity of a lifetime, his opportunity!  He Believed so strongly in what he had that he was quoted as saying;

 

"I would sooner burn the script than to see anyone else play Rocky!"

 

This was about his story, his shot. The character of Rocky was really about himself, Sylvester Stallone. Rocky was a down and out boxer, Sly was a down and out actor, but this was going to be their chance! Sly wanted to tell his story, to make his own personal movie, and in his "-mind-" no one could play that part but him.

 

When the negotiations were finally done, they agreed to let this "virtual unknown" play the lead role of Rocky Balboa, The Italian Stallion, and to pay him $1,000,000 for the script, And to give him a percentage of the film.  Wow, talk about believing in yourself and negotiating all of this with only $106 in the bank!

 

The movie went on to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards® and was the winner for Best Picture in 1976. Audiences and critics alike cheered this American success story of an "everyman" triumphing over all odds.

 

In the end Rocky and Sylvester were able to say "I aint' no bum." They found that by believing in themselves they were capable of doing anything they put their "minds" to!

 

So what's the moral to this story and how does this tie into coaching?

 

Well, are we so different from Sylvester Stallone? How many of us have ever suffered rejection, been told we weren't good enough, or that we weren't "right for the part?" How many of us have ever doubted ourselves and when told by someone else we couldn't do it, we believed them?

 

Belief is an inside job, your job and this is where coaching can help. What movie would you make if you had the right support? I'd love to find out, contact me today to begin making your blockbuster. 

 

So if you or someone you know would like to take first steps toward making your own movie, please contact Dynamite Coaching today. Take action!