An American Dream

Yesterday, I ran across this story about Sylvester Stallone, a famous American movie star, and I wanted to share it because we all have BIG dreams.  

Before fame came, Sylvester was a struggling actor in every definition.  At some point, he was so broke that he stole his wife's jewelry and sold it. Things got so bad that he ended up homeless and slept at the New York bus station for three days.  Unable to pay rent or afford food, a true low point came when he could no longer feed his dog.  Standing in front of a liquor store, he tried to sell him.  As he pocketed $25, he walked away crying.

Two weeks later, Sylvester saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner.  That match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie ROCKY.  It took him 20 hours to write it.  He then went to work trying to sell it.  He got an offer for $125,000.  However, his request to star as Rocky in the movie was denied.  The studio told him he looked and talked funny and they wanted a real movie star for the role.  Sylvester left with his script in hand.

A few weeks later, the same studio offered him $250,000 for the script.  When they refused to cast him, he turned them down.  Later they offered $350,000 for the script from which he also walked away from.  He told them that he had to be cast in his movie.

Finally, the studio agreed to let him star in it but only offered him $35,000 to do so.  The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Academy Awards. He was even nominated for the Best Actor award.  The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

The first thing Sylvester did with $35,000 was to find his dog.  He loved that dog so much that he stood in front of the liquor store for three days waiting to locate the man he sold his dog to.  On that third day, he saw the man coming with the dog.  Sylvester explained why he sold his best friend and begged for the dog back but the man refused.  When Sylvester offered him $100, the man still refused.   Declining $500 and even $1,000, Sylvester ended up paying $15,000 for the return of his beloved animal, nearly half of the initial payment for his movie. 

Today, the same man who slept in the street and was forced to sell his dog because he couldn’t feed it has one of the most famous faces in Hollywood. 

Have you ever had a dream, a wonderful dream but aren't sure how to implement it?  Life is tough. The world tends to pass you by if you’re not famous or connected or rich.  Doors will shut on you. This happens to people every day but don’t get discouraged and let someone else’s rejection stop you.  Keep dreaming.  This is your life, your story, work hard and fight to keep your dream alive.  Keep believing in yourself and one day, you’re hopes and dreams will come true.  Maybe not quite the way you intended, but in the way they were always meant to be.