Andre, 'Dopey' Sylvester Stallone Made his Dream of Stardom a Must
Inbox
X
| hide details Jul 5 (4 days ago) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To Discover The 6 Simple Steps That Transformed A Former School
Delinquent Into A MILLIONAIRE At Just Age 26, Simply Visit:
=> http://www.PavingTheWayToTheTo
==============================
Hi Andre,
Surely one of the best examples of the power of commitment and how
doing whatever it takes will get you what you want' is the story
of Sylvester Stallone.
At his peak, Stallone was one of the most popular and highly paid
stars in Hollywood, commanding a fee of US$20m per movie. Was he
just born under a lucky star?
Was he a naturally talented actor? Was he at the right place at the
right time? Hardly. He was someone who seemed to have all the odds
stacked up against him.
His family was so poor that his mother had to give birth to him on
the doorsteps of a school. A blotched delivery by students caused a
facial nerve to be severed, leaving him paralyzed on the right side
of his face.
As a result, Stallone had to live the rest of his life with slurred
speech. He even had to deal with having a drooping lower lip and
being made fun of because of his name 'Sylvester' (associated with
the Looney Tunes cat).
Despite all these limitations, young Stallone dreamed of becoming
an actor and inspiring millions of people through his movies.
As you know many young people go through a phase of wanting to be
an actor, a star ...the difference between Stallone and the rest of
youthful dreamers was that his dream was not a merely wishful
thinking.
To Stallone, it was an absolute must. He was truly committed to
doing whatever it took to make it happen.
First he enrolled in acting school and then started going for
auditions. Predictably, with his wooden acting, his dopey looks and
his slurred speech, Stallone was rejected for every part he applied
for. But he never gave up. Doggedly he just kept changing his
strategy and taking action.
The way he landed his first part is a fine example of how he was
willing to do whatever it took. When he was rejected after yet
another audition, he pulled up a chair in front of the manager's
office and sat down, refusing to leave unless they gave him a
chance.
After sitting there for hours, they were so moved by how much he
wanted a chance that they relented and gave him a part. Although he
appeared for a couple of minutes (as an extra), it gave him that
first breakthrough he was after.
Unfortunately, that experience was followed by yet another string
of unsuccessful attempts at getting another acting job. At that
point, his wife told him to give up his 'stupid dream' and get a
real job.
His reply was, 'If I get another job, I would lose the only thing
I have got going for me...my hunger.' 'By quitting and getting a job,
I would be selling out on my dream'.
Stallone eventually wound up so broke and desperate that he was
forced to sell his dog for $50 in order to survive. It was the
saddest moment in his life because his dog was the one friend he
had got left.
At this, the lowest point in his life, he watched a boxing match
between then world heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali and Chuck
Wepner, an underdog that everyone thought would be defeated within
three rounds.
What no one expected was Wepners' determination and tenacity. He
lasted the total of fifteen rounds with Ali, just refusing to go
down.
Sly was so inspired by what he saw that he had visions in his head
about a movie that he was going to write. He started writing
profusely for 72 hours non-stop until he finished the manuscript
for 'Rocky'.
He was so excited by the script because in his mind he knew that
this was going to be the movie that would change his life and his
fortune.
But when he went round attempting to sell his script, everyone felt
that it was too predictable and that nobody would be interested in
watching a movie about boxing.
But he didn't give up. He kept on going and going until one company
made him an offer of 125,000 for the script and the rights to make
the movie. This should have made Sly overjoyed but his dream was to
be an actor and not a writer.
So, he told them that the condition of sale was that he be cast as
the lead actor. They objected saying, 'You're a writer! you're not
an actor!' 'There is no way we will let you act!'
But Sly stood his ground and refused to sell the script if he
wasn't the lead actor. They even increased their offer to $250,000,
but Sly kept insisting that he fitted the role of 'Rocky', and no
one else.
Although he was broke and hungry, he refused to sell out his dream
for a six-figure pay check. That was his level of commitment!
Eventually they reluctantly agreed, on the condition that the movie
be made on a shoe string budget of less than a million dollars and
Stallone would get only $35,000 for the writing, directing and
acting. Sly would however, get a percentage of the profits, if the
movie made money. He agreed immediately.
The first thing Sly did when he got his money was to go in search
of the man who bought his dog to buy it back. When he finally
tracked down the man, he offered to buy his dog back for $100.
The man declined his offer saying that he was not interested. Sly
upped his offer to $500. Still the man refused. Sly again upped his
offer, this time to $1000. The man still would not budge saying,
'No amount of money will ever convince me to sell this dog.'
While most of us would give up at this point, Sly knew that if he
was committed to do whatever it takes, he would find a way.
Eventually he did get his dog back. He paid the man a whopping
$15,000 and also gave him a part in the movie as part of the deal.
When Rocky was launched at the box office, it grossed over $225
million and was nominated for ten academy awards (including best
actor), eventually winning an Oscar for Best Picture & Best
Director.
Sylvester instantly shot to fame as an action star and lucrative
offers came in for future blockbusters, which were to eventuate in
First Blood, Rambo and the Rocky sequels.
His eventual success came from the fact that to him, becoming an
actor was truly a must. He believed that when you are committed
enough, there is always a way!
To Your Success,
Adam Khoo
www.PavingTheWayToTheTop.com
PS. Whew! That was a long newsletter email, but I'm sure you'll
agree that it was great
-----
©2008 Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group. All Rights Reserved
Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group Pte Ltd,
10 Hoe Chiang Road, #01-01 Keppel Towers, Singapore 089315
Jack Canfield holds the Guinness Book World Record for having seven books simultaneously on the New York Times Bestseller List - beating out Stephen King. He even holds the Guinness Book World Record for the largest book-signing ever for Chicken Soup for the Kids Soul. And he's the only author to have won both the ABBY Award and the Southern California Book Publicist Award in the same year - honoring him as both an outstanding writer and a consummate book marketer.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar