WISDOM FROM ROCKY BALBOA...........

Here I am in Marietta, Georgia sitting in my recliner watching TV. It has been a long day for NIARCHOS MEDIA SOLUTIONS helping clients increase their R.O.I. I was trying to zone out when all of a sudden, as I sailed through my 150 channels, I stumbled on the movie Rocky Balboa; the last chapter of the Rocky movie saga. All red blooded American guys are suckers for a good Rocky movie, even if we have seen it 20 times. There was a great scene in the middle of the flick where Rocky is talking to his grown son, on the street, outside Rocky's restaurant. His son is pleading with Rocky not to fight in an exhibition with the young, current world boxing champion. The son whines unmercifully about how tough it has been to be in his famous dad's shadow. The son blames his loving father for him not getting any further in the world. Finally Rocky could not stand to listen to his son's weakness any longer and lays down some harsh reality to the young buck. He informs the kid about how tough and cold the world can be. He enlightens the lad about how only cowards point the finger at something or someone else to blame for their own shortcomings. He then gives his son the most succinct chunk of wisdom, that in my humble opinion, sums it all up. The legendary champ emphatically tells his son, "It's not how hard you can hit that counts; life can hit you harder than anybody!" "It's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward!" Wow!!! Is that not what separates the winners from the losers? What divides the people with character from the bums? You bet it is! I have spent over 28 years in the world of advertising and have had the privilege of working with countless entrepreneurs in almost every area of business. Without exception, the folks that had tenacity and intestinal fortitude always came out on top; good economy or bad economy. Never, never, never quit! It is easier said than done when life's circumstances have knocked the air out of you. Don't let the S.O.B.'s get you down. Most businesses are going to pull in their horns and withdraw their little heads inside their turtle shells. They stop believing, they stop selling, they stop advertising. When "I wore the clothes of a younger man", as Billy Joel once sang, I would hear all the proud stories of the ancient Greeks. My ancestors came from an area called the Mani Peninsula and are decedents of the ancient Spartans. In the golden age of the Spartan city state, the Spartan mothers would tell their sons just before they went off to war, "Come back wearing your shield or come back on it!" In those days the shields were as tall as the warriors because while under attack, they could actually crouch behind it for protection. Another use for these large shields was to carry the dead on it like a stretcher. Thus you see now the cold, determination of those Spartan mothers. They in no uncertain terms, made their sons understand that they should come back victorious or come back dead, rather than defeated. Gee, I bet that motivated junior! Never the less, the Spartans were undefeated in war for centuries and even dominated the ancient Olympic games for 300 years! Obviously, they never quit. NIARCHOS MEDIA SOLUTIONS comes in contact every day with modern day "Spartan like' entrepreneurs. They are out there leading the way. They won't quit and neither should you. Always remember what the "Italian Stallion" said, "It's not how hard you can hit but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward".