Category: Life

5 Things We Can Learn From Rocky

5 Things We Can Learn From Rocky

So I’m a bit of a movie nerd and one of my all time favourite movies is Rocky. To some that will make total sense, to others not so much.

When I was younger I loved Rocky because it was about boxing, but as I got older and time went on I began to realise it was about a lot more than that. I began to understand what it was really about – following your gut, your heart and your dreams, to achieve things even you weren’t sure you could do. To keep going no matter how tough things get and if life knocks you down to get back up!

The movie is full of inspiration and motivation, but so is the story of how Stallone made it happen. He went broke, people laughed at him and he even had to sell his dog!  But he stuck to his dream, worked hard, struggled and eventually it worked out!

So what can we learn from the story of Rocky, both on and off screen? Here’s a list of my five lessons.

Keep moving forward
Don’t let negative past experiences ruin today. This is a bad habit of mine, but is something I’m working on now with my fitness challenge. I told myself that I’d never be able to reach my fitness goals because I’ve never stuck to a regime before, so why is now any different. With a little support, encouragement and positive outlook I’m finally doing it.  I’m 18 days in and although I may miss the odd one, I’m trying not to let it bother me. I suck it up and focus on the next day’s routine.

So if you want to try something new or something you feel you’ve failed at before move forward, let past negatives go and focus on now! If you have a blip, let it go and start fresh.

Sylvester Stallone felt rejection so many times in his journey to get Rocky made. He stuck to his guns though, got the part, got it produced and even won an Oscar! He didn’t let all the negativity that was thrown his way bring him down: “I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.”

There ain’t no can’ts!
Or as my Grandma says “can’t means won’t”. Saying you can’t do something is pretty much a sure fire way to fail before you’ve even started. Everyone’s guilty of this at some point in their lives. I’ve had a lot of folk say to me “I can’t draw” and to them I should really ask, have you tried? Most folk will probably say something like “yeah, once and I was rubbish” compared to who? Someone who has being at it for years? All you need is practice and determination. Both in time will build your confidence in your skills and yourself. Find yourself an art class or a book on drawing or whatever it is you want to do. Research, the right information, tutorials and hard work will serve you well and soon you’ll realise you can do it!

In order to beat Apollo, Rocky has to learn to fight right handed, something he says he “can’t” do. With hard work, determination,  Mickey screaming at him (encouragingly of course) and a training montage he gets the job done and wins the fight.

Believe in yourself
Believing in yourself can sometimes be difficult, especially if doing the opposite is a lifetime habit. It was a terrible habit of mine, doubting my skills and I’ve only recently truly started to think more positively about them.One way to start believing in yourself and thinking more positively is to write a list of all your achievements. It doesn’t matter how small they are, as long as you felt good about it. When I did my 30ish before 30 list it brought back great memories and things I’d completely forgotten about. It helped me realise that I’ve done some pretty cool things already in my life and there is no reason why I can’t achieve more.Stallone believed in himself and the story of Rocky so much that he turned down so many offers for the script, offers that would have made him a lot of money. He wanted to play Rocky so refused any offer that didn’t include him – that’s awesome self belief right there!

Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows
Let’s be honest, sometimes life can suck and things can get tough – you just have to keep on punching! If you’ve hit rock bottom, take heart that the only direction left is up. Take steps to live more positively, choose how you react to things. I’ve heard folk say that gratitude journals help them develop a more positive outlook and although I’ve never tried this myself I can understand the merit in it. I tried making a positive list – each night write down one positive thing that happened or you felt through the day, then on the following Monday you’ll have a list of seven things that made you happy. This made the start of my week pretty sweet and overtime you start to look for the positives in everything and your whole outlook eventually changes, worth a shot right?

Every movie in the franchise delivers life blows to Rocky and each time he overcomes them to win or see things through to the end – “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”

Go the distance
If you want to accomplish your goals or do something new – go for it! Immerse yourself in it, take a class, join a club, do some tutorials, or take part in a hangout online. Whether it’s saving up for a once in a lifetime trip, to learn Photoshop or play an instrument. Just do what it takes to make your dreams come true, but also be aware that it’s ok for those goals to change and evolve. Don’t do things half assed, do them to the full and be enthusiastic. If you start to get bogged down and start to worry you’re not getting there fast enough, take a moment, breathe and remember why you wanted to do it in the first place. See it through to the end and you’ll never have to say that you didn’t try and you won’t regret a thing!

 

So there you go, that’s why Rocky inspires me. Now do you have any movies or quotes that inspire you to keep going, to try something new, or believe in yourself? Then share them in the comments because we all need a little motivation at times!

Embrace Your Inner Geek During Geek Week

 

It’s Geek Week over on YouTube and I’ve been feeling pretty inspired to get my nerd on and write something.

Being a geek or a nerd to me is the same thing. I don’t know where to draw the line and frankly I don’t care! If you’re a geek or a nerd chances are you’re slightly obsessed with something and love it with your whole heart, so really we’re all the same.

You can be a nerd about anything, movies, music, science, comics, or more specific things like Lord of the Rings, Firefly, Mass Effect! Anything goes and that’s the fun of it. In recent years the embracing of nerd/geek culture has been amazing, we’ve all been able to shout that little bit louder about the things we love and not be ridiculed for it. It’s something we can all get involved in and have fun with. Even those who claim not to be nerds or those that used to mock us – are you trying to tell me there’s nothing you love or obsess over? TV shows, books, cars, computers, design? Come one, there’s got to be something you’re crazy about!

 

I’ve had my share of TV based obsessions over the years, Firefly, Quantum Leap, Star Trek, Supernatural, David Duchovny I mean The X Files. There has also been musical loves, movie obsessions, a whole load of Middle Earth based geekery and not to mention the Bat that brought Peter and I together when we were first getting to know each other. Each one has in some way influenced the other and my life in a positive way.So with this wealth of love and appreciation so readily available to us, why are some folk reluctant or afraid to embrace that inner geek and show off their fandom with pride? Some casting off their childhood loves to be more mature and possibly growing up a little too much?

“The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all children.”
Jim Henson
 

I’ve had eyes rolled at me, the odd “grow up” comment, the “really? You like Batman” and “girls aren’t supposed to like action movies” conversations. It used to bother me quite a bit, but now I know I’m not the only one! There’s tons of us ladies out there who love a bit of destruction porn and Statham movies. I love geeky and nerdy things and would happily sit for hours discussing the deepest meanings of The Matrix, the tormented dark version of Batman I’d love to see on the big screen or how I think Star Trek is better than Star Wars! And now I’m calling on you to embrace your inner geek and shout about your nerdy obsessions from the rooftops. Here’s four reasons why:

1 »  Truly loving something, be it a comic character, Sci Fi, TV show, book or a piece of music, makes us feel good. So go find your fandom,
the thing you love and geek out over it!

2 »  You’re soooo not alone! Guaranteed if you love something there’s hundreds if not thousands of folk who love it too. That’s loads of potential nerd buddies! Go connect. Join a forum, go to a con get involved and spread the love!

3 » Inspiration is there in abundance! Things we love and enjoy inspire us, to keep going through difficult times, to get out of a creative rut or to try something completely new. Watch, listen, read, do and be inspired.

4 » This video. When asked by a fan to tell her daughter why it’s awesome to be a nerd, Wil Wheaton had this to say ↓↓↓

 I also loved this little quote from the comments under the video:

“Hipsters are all about loving a thing and when they meet someone else who loves it, then they’ll move onto something else.
Nerds are all about loving a thing and when they meet someone else who loves it, then they’ll jump with joy at finding someone to share that thing with.”
Share your joy folks!

 

Blogging 101: What I’ve Learned So Far

Blogging 101

I’ve been blogging (properly) for a couple of months now and have had some pretty cool things happen. I’ve met new folk who share awesome content and comment on my blog – makes my day every time. I’ve felt more motivated than ever to follow my bloggy and design dreams. I’ve sponsored amazing writers who in return have given my little space in the blogosphere shout outs and most importantly I feel like I’m a part of a great community of talented and inspiring people that encourage and support each other.

How did this all happen? Research! I researched the crap out of blogging tips, tricks, 101 posts and eBooks. I also asked around for help which was something I was pretty intimidated by at first, but was so glad I did as everyone was helpful and understanding.

Today I wanted to share some of the best resources that helped me and still do – I have them all bookmarked and read them from time to time to keep me in check, but I also wanted to share some of my own thoughts of my own about what I’m working on to grow my blog’s community.

These are a few of the most useful resources that I’ve read and use to keep on top of my blog and the work I need to do in order for it to grow:

Blogging 101 by Amanda at Living in Another Language

How to Grow Your Blog {Like a Boss} by Melyssa The Nectar Collective

The Growing Your Blog series by Abbi at Seasons of a Homemaker

Determining the Success of Your Blog by Erin at Two Thirds Hazel

Why Hello Google Analytics by Belinda at Found Love Now What?

What Barney Stinson Can Teach Us About Blogging and by Kenzie at Chasing Happy

The Building Your Blog’s Brand series also by Kenzie

Each of these posts and articles has helped me in some way along the line and I owe a BIG thank you to all the lovely ladies who wrote them!

Now I’d like to share some of my own experiences and blogging practices. Like most of the posts above have mentioned I try and respond to every comment made on my blog and in turn comment on others. This was the mistake I made in the past. I’ve been blogging on and off since 2009 and used to think “why is no one reading this?” – cue the face palm! It was simply because my lazy ass wasn’t taking the time to interact. You can use all the SEO tricks in the book, but unless you actually get involved you’re never going to get anyone reading your blog. However, it’s all about quality over quantity. I’d rather have low numbers and high interaction than hundreds of followers and a community devoid of life!

Speaking of SEO, Belinda’s posts on Google Analytics were really useful as I’ve always found it pretty confusing and didn’t know what metrics to focus on. I also stressed a bit about SEO and if I was doing it right or failing miserably. Belinda put my mind totally at ease, saying that we don’t need to go SEO crazy, just cover the basics and you’ll be fine if you focus on great content and interacting with the blogging community.

The other thing I wanted to share is the importance of social media in the plugging of your blog. Its soooo important, but the trick is to get the balance right. While I worked as a Digital Production Assistant I tried to implement the 70/30 rule – 30% you and 70% other content that’s awesome! No one wants to hear about you, you, you, but if they follow you chances are they’re interested in things you like. So if you think that blog post, article, video or pic is interesting or just plain awesome then share it! And don’t forget to say why, chances are the original author will thank you for it and you’ll give em’ a smile. If folk are following you and engaging with you, it’s a sure fire way to know you’re doing it right.

Blogging for me has been great fun over the last few months and is only getting better as the days go on. I hope you’ve found all the resources gathered together as useful as I did and take something new from them.

Have I missed anything? Share your tips, tricks and ideas in the comments. That’s the best bit about blogging, sharing experiences and knowledge to help each other, now let’s hug it out!