On March 24, 1975, underdog Chuck Wepner took on World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali.
The fight was legendary – Wepner lasted 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali almost knocking him out in the process. Eventually, he was knocked out in round 15 with 19 seconds to go.
Over a 1000 miles away, struggling actor Sylvester Stallone was very inspired by Wepner’s effort as an underdog fighter. So, he began writing the script for a story with him as the underdog boxer, Rocky. The rest, as they say, is history.
On hearing this story, I was reminded of a friend who responded to the 2008 oil crisis (when the oil price went down to $40 per gallon) by buying 600,000 gallons of oil (!). While the rest of the world was busy reading newspapers, he saw an opportunity. Two years later, the oil price was back to $120 per gallon. He sold it at 300%.
Millions watched the Ali-Wepner fight on television but one man decided to use it to catapult his struggling acting career to a million dollar one.
The point I am trying to make here is that we have ‘stimulus’ all around us that could inspire us to no end. The big question is if our minds are open to it.
Here’s to seeking inspiration from events around us this week!
A Learning a Day 