When one thinks about people who get knocked down, and then get up again, three names come to mind: Chumbawamba, Rocky Balboa, and Lady Gaga.
Gaga's smash hit "Shallow" from A Star Is Born just picked up the Oscar for Best Original Song, and in her acceptance speech, she discussed a very familiar brand of resiliency—one that involves never giving up, no matter how hard you're hit.
To the transcript:
There's a discipline for passion, and it's not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down, or you're beaten up. It's about how many times you stand up, and are brave, and you keep going.
And now from arguably the second-worst Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa, colloquially known as Rocky 6:
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!
Two champions. Two Oscar winners. One unrelenting passion for getting back up when you're knocked down. Lady Gaga is the Rocky Balboa of the entertainment industry, and with her new golden statue, she's made it official.
Because you know what they say: There could be 100 people in the room, and 99 of them don't believe in you, but with a couple of raw eggs cracked into a glass and a song that's now available at 100% of karaoke joints, you can achieve your dreams.
Ben Boskovich is a contributing editor to Esquire, and writes about style and golf. He previously served as Esquire's Deputy Editor, and the site's Managing Editor. Prior to joining Hearst Digital Media, he was the Social Media Editor at Entertainment Weekly.
