Rocky 2 - Not a Great Movie, But an Apt Metaphor

At the climax of Rocky 2, the battling demigod boxers Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa throw simultaneous punches at each other and collapse together in slow-motion to the mat at their feet. Time slows further as the referee counts to ten, and the two contenders struggle to get back up to their feet, both knowing that the one who gets up first wins the heavyweight championship of the world.

It seems to me that this is the scenario that many of us are living in right now, the only difference being, we're not aware of it. We've been knocked down to the mat. We're hurting, we're tired, we're scared. What we don't realize, though, is that our competitors are in the exact same position.

We're all experiencing an amazing opportunity -- we just don't realize it. All we have to do is find the fortitude, the resources, the strength and courage to get back up again. And the difference between winning and not winning is in getting up just a little bit faster than our competitors.

I see the SagePresence CONFIDENT PRESENTING Series as a resource to help professionals and companies do just that.

So many of us think of this time as the right time to stop spending, to hunker down and wait out the financial freeze. But I think that's fear talking. I think hunkering down is a formula for slow-motion failure.

Now that business is slow, we finally have the time and energy to focus on building infrastructure. Now is the ideal time to take advantage of the opportunity and build our ability to represent ourselves. Now is the time to invest in our skills, to strengthen our ability to make connections and win people over. Because THAT'S what's going to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

The thing that's going to get us back on our feet isn't money, it's confidence. It's the certainty that we already have what it takes to stand on our own two feet, despite the world telling us we should be scared and helpless.

It's the very definition of winning presence.

Comments

[Amy Jewell / Cirklagirl]

I love this post! Great stuff and you are so right, Peter. The energy that we hold in our everyday lives most definitely affects the outcome!

[Chandlee]

This is a great post and a very apt metaphor indeed. I facilitate programming for a Manhattan based group of job seekers and will share your sentiments with them.

I watched Sage Presence present at the 2008 Career Management Alliance conference, and am looking forward to your encore in San Antonio.