Taking the Hits and Achieving Success
How to respond when you get knocked down

There comes a time in nearly everyone’s life when you realize that life isn’t fair, that the deck of life is stacked against you, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.
I realized this early on as a teenager, but one memory has stood out from the rest in altering my mentality towards setbacks, becoming an immensely pivotal moment in my life.
As a twelve year-old, I lost my starting position on my soccer team and was benched for the Midwest Regional Soccer Championship Finals. This was the culmination of my life’s athletic experience, something that I had dedicated more time to than anything else, and yet I remained a passive observer during that tournament, more fan than player.
This wasn’t fair because, as I saw it, I had been training 3+ times a week practically since I could walk. Yet that had not been enough. I was doing everything my coaches and parents told me to do to become a great player, and yet I simply wasn’t good enough.
I wasn’t the biggest player, I wasn’t the strongest player, I wasn’t the quickest player, and I wasn’t the smartest player. I was pathetically average.
Life just didn’t seem fair. My frustrations swelled in me to the point that I considered doing something I had never done before: quitting.
…
It was around this time that I was introduced to a role model of sorts: Rocky Balboa. Despite this being a fictional character, I admired Rocky’s ability to always face his challenges head-on and Rocky’s strong resolution to surmount the stacked odds and win.
One Rocky quote in particular has stuck with me since, one that I have turned to again and again at the low points in my life:

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
Anyone can quit. Anyone can give up. Anyone can list off excuses why he can’t achieve his goals . That’s the easy thing to do. But what I admired so much about Rocky is that HE didn’t quit. That HE didn’t give up. That HE didn’t list off excuses. And at that point in my life, I decided that I wouldn’t quit either.
From that day on, I started to take small steps towards my long-term goal of becoming a starter once again for my soccer team. I focused on my technical skills twice a week with my Romanian coach Denny, practicing hundreds of shots, passes, headers, volleys, and even the occasional bicycle kick. I began improving my fitness level by running long and short distances numerous times a week. I started juggling in my leisure time to perfect my touch.
I can poignantly remember arriving in downtown Cleveland on Saturday mornings at 7am to train with Denny, and the facility would be astonishingly empty. At those moments, Denny would say:

“Right now, while everyone else is asleep, you are here and putting in the work. Now is when you make the true gains. If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
At first, the training was very mentally and physically challenging. I would frequently wake up sore the following morning and not want to leave my bed, exhausted from this new routine. But I repeatedly recalled Rocky’s words and kept pushing forwards.
Within a few months of starting this new training regimen, I was beginning to turn heads on the soccer pitch, as players, coaches, and parents alike were astounded at the drastic resurgence in my game. Soon after, I had earned back my starting position and never yielded it again to another player.
…
As I reminisce on this experience, I realize that my decision to persevere instead of quit at such a young age has set a precedent in my life that has guided my dedication to succeed despite the opposition I inevitably face, to reject a “quitting mentality.”
Looking back, it is terrifying for me to even consider how radically different my life would be now if my decision in that pivotal moment had been different.
I am now nearly twenty-three years old, and I have surmounted more challenges than I can recall. But with each one, I have adhered to Rocky’s philosophy and have been resolute, determined to take the hits and be the last man standing.
You can’t influence everything that happens to you; all you can do is persevere and decide how to react. Will you give up, or will you take the punches and win?
— —
Jude Gingo
For the full Rocky Balboa Inspirational Speech, view the link below:
