I was looking for something around the house earlier this week and I tripped upon some old things from my previous employer – namely, my severance agreement. It’s been almost a year since I left and upon reading the agreement, a whole bunch of memories came flooding back. Some good, some bad, some in between the blacks and whites of the color scale.

During my summer off from work, there were many times that I felt like screaming at the world. I wanted to attack the world for what it did to me. “It’s not fair! It’s not right! I don’t deserve this!” It’s so easy to fall into the blame game, which is a game that doesn’t get you anywhere.

At some point last year, I took my son to see his first Rocky movie. In that movie, there’s a part where Rocky talks to his son who is frustrated at always living in his father’s shadow. Rocky says:

You ain’t gonna believe this … but you use to fit right here. I’d hold you up and say to your mother, “This kid is gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid is gonna be better than anybody I ever knew” … and you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you everyday. It was like a privilege. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world and you did.

But somewhere along the line you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in yoru face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard you started looking for somethin’ to blame … like a big shadow. 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. Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life! But it ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep movin’ forward, how much you can take and keep movin’ forward. That’s how winning is done!

Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointin’ fingers sayin’ you ain’t where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you no matter what … no matter what happens, you’re my son, you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.

You know, as cheesy as the Rocky movies can be, they can make a good point every now and then.

Here’s to all of us, who get hit – time and time again, and refuse to stay down. Here’s to all of us, who take the best that life has to give us, right on the chin, and keeps moving forward.