How Michael Gardenzio Achieved the American Dream (part II)
By: Pablo Lacasia
Tags: Truth, Roadtrip, Resilience, Dreams, America

…continued

45 Lessons from Michael Gardenzio to Achieve the American Dream! (part II)

20. Music does not accompany it defines the stories: with Bill Conti’s Gonna Fly Now, fanfare, brass, piano, trombone got fully into popular culture parapaaan, parapaaan, ‘trying hard now, its so hard now’ parapaaaaaan , violins, fanfare, flying high now, gonna fly, fly; Survivor Ever Since the World Began and Eye of the Tiger. ‘I’ll never know what brought me here, as if somebody led my hand. It seems I hardly had to steer my course was planned’.

21. We can all improve ourselves. But for that we have to go running at 5AM.

22. Help others without feeling indispensable.

23. Be Executive. What needs to be done, needs to be done (‘Rocky’ by the Numbers by Outtake).

24. How we title our stories matters. Memorability: Rambo, Tango and Cash, Demolition Man, Daylight, Oscar (Quickie Movie Review: Oscar by Esosa Omo-Usoh) & [Forget the Oscars, Watch ‘Oscar’ (1991) by Maggie Chirdo in NYU Local], The Expendables, Rocky (un drama con guantes de box by David Galicia Ardón), Escape to Victory (The Best Soccer Film Ever Made by Maxance Vincent).

25. There is always hope. (The Best Decade of Rocky Balboa by Sonny Giuliano).

26. Life is a mixture of Greek tragedy with a children’s story.

27. Running upstairs with a steadycam can become popular culture (Pop Culture).

28. We must fight against adversity and injustice. Fight hard and beat dead cows or ‘Punch meat’ in the fridge in winter if necessary.

29. Achieving your dreams requires courage, determination and ‘ambition’. (You Must Fail A Hundred Times to Succeed Once — Real Life Story by Insaf Ali in The Blue Stars).

30. Know how to laugh at ourselves because we will never finish having fun.

31. Don’t lose focus. (Stallone: The Great American Writer by Flick of the Week).

32. Ignite passion, even if we make a face of not understanding anything (Finding Inspiration in Sly Stallone’s Rocky-like Determination Paco Taylor in Movie Time Guru).

33. Money does not make happiness.

34. Smile when our words are taken away from us, they contradict us or they step on our feet because our hearts are at peace.

35. Look seriously at the little things and calm the big things to go far in life (The “Rocky” Saga: An Appreciation by Joel Eisenberg).

36. Talk, talk, talk, even if we have the lower lip of our mouth drooping and they make fun of us.

37. Shut up, shut up, shut up in order to learn new things.

38. Go out into nature, know it, understand it, respect it (but don’t exploit everything if we don’t like something).

39. Know how to appreciate a smile and forget a contempt. (Rocky.Movies Review by John Argote Rodriguez).

40. Things matter, names too: Ray Quick, Angelo ‘Snaps’ Provolone, Lincoln Hawk, John Spartan, Kit Latura (Every Sylvester Stallone Character Name That Is a Noun or Verb by Joe Berkowitz).

41. Always interpret the attitudes of others with benevolence even when appearances are contrary.

42. Give everything, and more. For that inch ahead, for that millimeter up, for that second more vital air. (A lição que me ensinou um boxeador do cinema by Dias Maquinais).

43. Know how to distinguish a mountain from a pebble to avoid many inconveniences (3 Things You Can Learn from Sylvester Stallone by Grant Cardone).

44. If you can’t do what you want, at least he wants what you do.

45. Happy above all, if you know how to recognize the Lord in everyone you meet then you will have found peace and true wisdom.

***

Sly Stallone managed during the 80’s and 90’s to condense stories that he wrote, directed and acted packaged in 90 minutes of popcorn cinema, entertaining and astute, full of common places, with violence (but not crude), with humor (but not silly), with wit and typical looks and gestures, like a nearby franchise where to look for a coffee. (The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Greatest Boxer: What Inspired Sylvester Stallone To Film Rocky by Alore).

His drooping lower lip (a consequence of malpractice during his pregnancy that produced paralysis of his face) meant that he could not be taken seriously neither jokingly. Something like Rembrandt’s squint or Messi’s supposed autism. They transformed their flaws into opportunities into success. They left their mark.

Butkus, the dog he had to sell for $25, was the only one who was happy when Sly got home. ( Your Key To Success: HOW SYLVESTER STALLONE GAMBLED ON ROCKY TO WIN to inspire you by Keith Greiveldinger).

‘You can’t be alone. To really succeed… No man is an island! When you find the right components in your life, the right people that gel with you… then you feel as though… You are invincible!’

Now it’s time to buy back the dog. It won’t be cheap. The good news is, Sly bought the dog back a short while later for $15,000! 600 times more expensive that the sell.

The film Rocky made in 1976 on a budget of just over $1 million and shot in 28 days, was a sleeper hit; it earned $225 million in global box office receipts becoming the highest grossing film of that year and went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing. The film received many positive reviews and turned Stallone into a major star.

What’s the lesson? What is the takeaway?

Don’t mess with passion when he’s on the breakaway! (Maui)