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The Rocky Mindset: The Fight for a Life Well Lived

The Rocky Mindset: The Fight for a Life Well Lived

Ed Clementi
February 17, 2025

Whenever I’m asked, “What’s your favorite movie?” I always pause for a second, smiling to myself—because I already know what’s coming.

I know the reactions:
A chuckle.
A polite, “Really?”
Or the outright, “Are you kidding me?”

As if my answer is some kind of offense to high cinema. As if I’m lacking taste, uncultured in the ways of real film.

But I don’t hesitate.

Rocky.

And not just any Rocky. Not the whole franchise, not the sequels (well, I do also love the second 🤭). I’m talking about Rocky—the 1976 classic that won Best Picture. The one that came out the same year I was born. The one that has stayed with me for my entire life.

The Follow-Up Question: Why Rocky?

For those who genuinely want to know, I always give them my thoughtful, heartfelt answer.

Yes, Rocky is a boxing movie. But that’s not what makes it great.

It’s a story about heart. About grit. About a man who refuses to be… “just another bum from the neighborhood”.

It’s about every punch he took. Every time life knocked him down. Every time he was told he wasn’t good enough, wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t meant to be more.

And then, in the biggest fight of his life—when the world expected him to fall—he made a decision.

He planted his feet, and kept on going, refusing to go down,—no matter how hard the hits kept coming.

That moment gives me chills every single time. And I won’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it.

Stallone’s Own Fight—A Lesson in Grit

The story only gets better when you dig into where Sylvester Stallone was when he sold this script for Rocky.

He was broke. Dead broke. He had $106 in his bank account. He had to sell his dog, Butkus, because he couldn’t afford to feed him. Studios wanted his script, but they didn’t want him. They wanted to buy it and cast someone else as Rocky.

But Stallone said no.

He believed in himself and in the story. He knew he was the guy. So he refused the money, held his ground, and fought for what he knew was his shot.

That’s the real Rocky story.

A Story That Hits Home

I’ve reflected on this story countless times, because in many ways, I see pieces of it in my own.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I didn’t have a head start. No golden ticket. No easy path laid out in front of me.

Just hunger. Just a belief that there was more.

And over the course of my life and career, there have been many moments where I’ve had to fight. Moments where I’ve had to stand my ground and say:

No way…, no way I’m going down.

And maybe that’s why this story has always stuck with me. Because just like Rocky, I’ve come to understand—before you prove anything to the world, you have to prove it to yourself.

The Fight We All Face

Life isn’t about having the perfect plan. It’s not about always making the right moves. It’s about heart.

It’s about getting hit, knocked down, underestimated, overlooked—and still getting back up.

Because here’s the thing: You will take hits.

People will doubt you.
You’ll face rejection.
You’ll wonder if you’re good enough.

The real question is: Will you keep moving forward?

Lessons from the Rocky Mindset

🥊 Take the Hits: You can’t avoid adversity. You can only train yourself to endure it. Every great success has faced losses—what matters is what you do next.

🥊 Keep Moving Forward: You don’t have to be the most talented, the most connected, or the most experienced. You just have to be the one who refuses to stay down.

🥊 Have a Coach in Your Corner: Even Rocky had Mickey. The best, the most successful people? They all have mentors, coaches, and people who push them beyond their limits.

🥊 Be the Underdog Who Wins: No one believed in Rocky. No one believed in Stallone. Hell, maybe no one believed in you. But the only way to prove them wrong? Show up. Do the work. Keep moving forward.

The Final Round: What’s Your Fight?

So here’s my question to you:

What’s your fight?

Is it your career? Your future? The version of yourself you refuse to give up on?

If you’re ready to level up, I can be in your corner.

Because at the end of the day…,

“…You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, But it aint about how hard you hit.

It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

- Rocky Balboa