“The world meets nobody halfway.
When you want something, you gotta take it.”
-Lincoln
Hawk (Sylvester Stallone)
Inspiration
can come in many forms. Inspiration can
come from a person, such as a loving parent, close friend, or a hard nosed
coach. Inspiration can come from an
action, such as a remarkable sunrise welcoming a new day, or a meteor shower putting
on a space spectacle across the dark calming skies. No matter where inspiration evolves you must
allow it to continue. Continuing to be
inspired is how we become great.
I’m a huge
movie buff. I always have been. Similar in the way that I can vanish into my
thoughts on a run, I can quickly get lost in a movie. Enthralled by the characters on the screen. The movies and the runs both allow me to
escape the craziness of the world. It’s actually
funny to think that a movie from the 80’s, such as “Over The Top” with
Sylvester Stallone can inspire a person, but didn’t a lot of the 80’s movies
play a part in some inspiration.
Outsiders? Breakfast Club perhaps?
Top Gun?
Rocky III? Star Trek II: The
Wrath of Khan? Okay, maybe not the
latter movie, though still good for entertainment purposes. Closing off the rest of the world for 120
minutes as you soak in the adventures our characters are about to embark on. Riding the waves of emotions, from the lows
of their defeats, to the climax of their glory.
Watching them grow from the very first scene. Witnessing the way they have lived, loved,
and learned. Coming back to face their
initial fears, righting their mistakes, or overcoming whatever obstacle that was
set before them. And all of this before
the credits roll.
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picture taken from badazzmofo.com
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In the real
world we can’t solve all our problems in 120 minutes, but thankfully we have
more time before our credits begin to roll.
I still enjoy taking bits and pieces of movies with me, and trying to
incorporate them into my everyday life.
I’m constantly dropping obscure movie lines on Allyson. I’m convinced she was deprived as a kid,
because she rarely gets what I’m saying.
Just the other week something smelled funky in our refrigerator and I
dropped a line from Bad Boys (“You fart? No Man! Dead Guy!”), this should have
been a two person scene, but Allyson wasn’t following, forcing me to play both
parts. In any case lines from movies
maybe not the kind found in Bad Boys, but the kind found in other movies can
inspire us to overcome complications in our lives. This was always a good form of reference when
it came to dealing with my abusive father and one I still rely on from time to
time today.
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Picture taken from Stallonezone.com
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Sylvester
Stallone’s character in “Over the Top” (Lincoln Hawk), tells his son numerous
times that: “The world meets nobody
halfway. When you want something, you
gotta take it.” That’s a powerful
piece of advice, and better than any I received from either of my parents. I try to remind myself of this when the
semester workload begins to overwhelm, or when negative thoughts are triggered
by negative actions of others. This
single line from an 80’s movie, has taught me that if I want something, I have
to go after it. I can’t just sit back
waiting for the world to give into me, I have to push myself everyday to get
after it and to get after some of you. I
didn’t become a co-founder of the Bucks County Speedsters, because I had a few
hours empty in my daily schedule that needed filled, I did it to help
runners. I’m extremely passionate about
teaching and helping others. By starting
this non-profit track/running club I’m able to put those passions to work. All while I continue to work toward an
education degree. Three more semesters
to go! I finished this last full time
semester with a 3.75 GPA, while working two part-time jobs, being a full-time
coach/club president, and working all hours to be a loving, but challenging
husband...
So, next time your having a bad day
or maybe it’s not a bad day per say, maybe it’s just an off day, and you need a
little inspiration, put on your favorite movie.
It doesn’t have to be from the 80’s and it doesn’t have to star
Sylvester Stallone, all I ask is that it brings a smile to your face before the
credits roll and perhaps even inspires you to go out and get after something
like a new “Personal Best” or a new distance.
Till we run into each other again…
My Top 10 All Time Favorite Movies (In alphabetical order):
Bad Boys
Face Off
Dodge Ball
Lion King
Mall Rats
Outsiders
Patriot
Pay It Forward
Remember The Titans
Rocky I-V (They all count as one to me.)
*There are plenty of
other movies that come close to making this list, but those stay in the 11-20 “All
Time Favorites” list.
