Cinderella
Man
Last month, I rented the movie Cinderella Man. For those that
do not know the movie, it is about a boxer during the Great Depression. Before
the Great Depression hit, Jim Broddock, was on his way having a shot
at the title fight.
He ended up losing the title
fight and the movie picks up his life during the Great Depression where
he is
losing
fights
due
to
injuries and was forced to quit. He ended up getting back into
boxing and ultimately won the title. So what does a boxing movie
have to do with money? In
watching the movie, I was stuck by several prosperity lessons that
occurred
during the movie, including:
There is no financial security, only security within
In the movie, Jim initially
had a very comfortable lifestyle. He had a nice house and owned
a taxi cab business. Yet,
he hit a losing streak in his boxing career and then came the Great
Depression where he lost
his
home and
the taxi
cab business. He
ended up in a small apartment tyring to find work each day at the shipping
docks.
Today, we think that if we can only own our home and make an investment
in a business that everything will be o.k.. For many, this is
true. Yet,
if we believe that having money or owning our own homes are a guarantee
for security, then we need to think again. How about Hurricane
Katrina victims? Sometimes
even with insurance, we find that insurance doesn't cover all risks
(such as earthquakes, floods, mold damage or economic downturns) and
we can lose it all in the matter of moments.
The only security in life comes from knowing that we can handle
whatever life throws at us. This means that we do not play the
victim and give up when life turns sour on us. Many
people believe that the economy makes them who they are instead of
what we do in relationship
to the
economy that really defines us. Was F.D.R. a polio victim
or a President who overcame polio? Jim Broddock could have given
up, yet he managed to overcome everything by knowing
that
hard
work
and persistence would get him through the rough times. He took
what life provided him including temporary work at the dock and a fight
that
he had
no
right
in winning
due to
not having enough time to train properly and made it through the tough
times. His security cam from within and not through the nice
house and taxi cab company that he owned.
If you need a handout, do not stay stuck in shame
Jim hit a low point when his wife sent their children to relatives
when the electricity was turned off in their apartment. To get
enough money to turn back on the heat, he had to turn to welfare programs
for assistance because there was not
enough
work
at the dock to keep him busy. He also had to swallow his pride
to go back to the boxing promoters to ask for the rest of the money
that he needed. For
many, there is great shame with asking for a handout. If you
get stuck in shame for needing assistance or filing for bankruptcy,
your hatred for the situation
(asking for help) will only keep you stuck
in needing help. This is because your energy is directed towards
what you do not want (needing a handout) rather than putting
energy into what you want (prosperity).
Part of this is because we see welfare as a handout (rich giving to
those who are needy) rather than a hand up (brother giving a helping
hand). We put a negative perspective on bankruptcy. News
articles discuss how people have failed and needed
to file for bankruptcy. Yet, for businesses, bankruptcy is referred
to as a reorganization. A
company like Kmart can be in bankruptcy at one moment and then be worth
billions a year after they complete their bankruptcy proceedings. How
can this be? Because
in business, bankruptcy is a part of business. Something
that is needed to move forward. For individuals, it is unfortunately
something that defines them as a failure. If you are in
this situation, be aware that it is a choice how you view it (failure
or
a step forward). Many millionaires including Donald Trump have
once lost all or most of their money only to keep on moving forward
and earning their money
back because bankruptcy
did not define them.
Being broke isn't the same as being poor
Broke is a financial term. Poor or poverty can define who an
individual is. So, if you do not
have money, then think about it as being broke versus being poor. Jim
Braddock was broke when he went to the relief agencies. However,
he was never poor because he had his family and his strength to move
forward. Do not let an event define you.
If your energy is focused and persistent towards
a goal, you will prevail
In the movie when Jim was fighting, there were pictures
of Jim's children going through his head. This shows that Jim
was fighting with a goal of having his children live at home, something
that was taken away from him when the electricity was turned off. Goals
that are numeric are harder to reach than goals with feelings. Jim's
goal of having a loving family at home was a stronger goal than to
just fighting to win. This is because feelings are energy. When
you indicate the feelings behind your goals (in the movie, the love
of uniting his family), you put more energy towards reaching the goals. When
you have more energy, you will achieve more of your goals in a shorter
amount of time.
Becoming a millionaire can be a good goal, yet the question that you
should ask is why do you want to become one? If the goal
is to provide for your family, imagine how more powerful
you will be when you
identify
that the
underlying
goal is to show your family how much you love and care for them. This
way when you provide something to your family,
it comes with more love and caring. And,
when money is not there, the love and caring will remain.
There is always a solution to problem when we are in the flow
Jim could have continued going down to the docks each day wondering
if he would have work that day instead of taking another chance
in boxing. Many
times, we continue on down the path which we are on, in a job
that we do not love. Jim
continued as a day laborer, yet kept his eyes open for opportunities. When
presented with the opportunity of a one-time fight came up, he jumped
on it even if it meant having some risks of
breaking
his
hand
again.
How many times have you felt stuck in your current job? Being
stuck is different then continuing the job while gaining additional
skills and training for the next job. There
is always a solution to our problems if we keep our eyes and ears
open to opportunities while working on improving our skills to be ready
for it. Yet,
if we feel that we are in a dead-end job and lament going into work
each day, how open will our eyes and ears be to new opportunities?
I remember reading a story about a store clerk who put her 110% energy
into the job. Even though there was little to no hope to get
promoted, she did not let that hold her back from staying in the flow
of giving 110% and being open to what the Universe has to offer. One
day, a competitor walked in to check out the store. The competitor
noticed the clerk and thought this is the type of person that I want
to run my store. It is not about will my problem be solved from
what is right in front of me (e.g., my current job). Rather,
if I give 110% effort and stay open to possibilities, it is only a
matter of time before the Universe will
provide
me
with the
opportunity
to solve the problem.
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