In one scene from the movie, Rocky, the title character played by Sylvester Stallone, is seen waking up at 4:00am, helping himself to a glassful of raw eggs, and then starting a jog. Rocky’s jog is the start of his preparation for his boxing fight with Apollo Creed, the current heavyweight champion in the movie.
Rocky is seen running on the dark deserted streets of Philadelphia. The director, John G. Avildsen, apparently wanted to show how alone Rocky is as he begins his training. Despite the hype that surrounds his upcoming fight, Rocky is by himself.
I am also by myself when I wake up three mornings a week to work out. I wash up, change to workout attire, walk the short path to where my equipment is and lift weights for an hour. Afterwards, I take a shower, eat breakfast, and go to work.
My routine has been like that when I began working out years ago and it has been like this up to the present day. There is no background musical score nor is there any person cheerleading me on. I am alone.
It can be difficult to sustain the momentum. Urgent phone calls and tasks that wouldn’t wait disrupt my workout routines; so much so there will be times I would not be exercising for a month, and I’d be forced to reduce weights whenever I restarted lifting to avoid injuring myself from suddenly lifting heavy weights after a long hiatus.
What was John Avildsen’s point in that scene of Rocky jogging alone in the darkness? What is the point of doing my workouts?
Everyone has an aspiration, an ambition, or just plain wish. But just as much as we have one, how much do we work for it? How much do we work before we discontinue and decide to quit?
Rocky’s aim was to be at his best physically for his fight with Apollo Creed. His goal was to show he would fight to the best of his ability.
My goal is to be strong enough to lift as much weight I possibly could.
In the movie, Avildsen presented Rocky as a typical human being who was willing to give his all in a fight many expected his opponent will win.
I work out to become stronger with the aim to be as healthy as I could as I age.
Rocky had a personal goal and so do I.
Marketers of fitness gyms promote the picture of perfect physiques. Would-be customers adopt the picture of perfect physical shapes of celebrities and athletes which fitness gurus sell as the come-ons for gym subscriptions.
My mistake was to adopt someone else’s vision of a sculpted physical body which many fitness gyms sell as their come-ons to would-be customers.
My goal is not only my own but also mine alone to create and define. Hence, strength and not an attractive physique has become my goal.
Rocky’s goal was to be at his best physically and mentally in his bout with Apollo Creed. It was not his aim to win despite what everyone around was telling him to aspire for. When the time came, Rocky gave Apollo a good fight, one that surprised everyone who watched.
Our goals are ours alone. We make them and we achieve tangible benefits largely by our own initiative and hard work.
What we should avoid is adopting someone else’s vision as our own. Because when we do, we risk working for something we not only may not be able to achieve but we also may end up attaining something which does not really mean much for ourselves.
I am solely accountable for what I aim for.
Ellery's Essays 
