Finding Inspiration Before the Credits Roll

“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. 

picture taken from badazzmofo.com

            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.

Picture taken from Stallonezone.com

            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.