Important Insights About Life From the Last Rocky Movie

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Who doesn’t love a Rocky movie? (Well, except for the fifth one.) They are inspiring and fun movies, but they don’t hold any real depth—do they?

Everything has depth to someone. If you are lucky, you will encounter the right piece of content or art at the right time and it will speak to you in ways you didn’t realize you needed.

I had only seen the last film, Rocky Balboa, once until last weekend. I missed the wisdom. Maybe it was because I was younger.

The film came out in 2006 to lackluster response. The public had Rocky fatigue. But when I saw it this time, the film surprised me with its intensity. It was a fitting ending to the saga and a nice bookend to the original 1977 Oscar-winning Rocky film.

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya 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!”—Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

The above quote is Rocky talking to his son, and it alone is worth the price of admission. He encouraged his son to leave a job he hated and do what he loved. Pretty deep advice from a punch-drunk fighter, but Rocky was smart enough to know what was important in life.

In a year where we are all weary and tired of fighting, that quote packs a lot of truth. Life is tough, and it really is about how much you can take and keep going. Win, lose, or draw, the important thing is to do what you love, know your worth, and keep fighting.

Rocky had the guts to go the distance one last time. It didn’t matter that he lost. The meaning was and always is—in the journey.

What do you want to go the distance in? Writing? Art? A relationship or job?

Maybe you’ve had limited success with your dreams while waiting for your shot at the title. Keep fighting and keep doing what you love. Even if the only one you ever fight against is yourself, the journey is important. The only person you have to get better than—is you.