Motivating Speeches...

ChefChiTown

ChefChiTown

New member
In times of need, I often turn to motivational speeches to get me going in the right direction. I thought it would cool and helpful if people posted their favorite motivational speeches, scenes, poems, whatever.

I have a ton of favorites but I'll start off with one I have loved since the day I first heard it. It's from the movie Rocky Balboa.

The entire speech starts at the 2:00 mark if you want to listen to the whole thing. However, the following excerpt is what really hits home every single time I hear it...

"...then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But, somewhere along the line you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And, when things got hard you started looking for something to blame...like a big shadow.

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 WINNIN' IS DONE!!!

Now, if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointin' fingers saying you ain't where you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!!!"

 
ahhhhh I still love that every time I see it. It's a good one.
 
If you haven't seen Gridiron Gang, do yourself a favor and watch it immediately. It is an AMAZING story about a counselor at a juvenile detention center who forms a football team made up of the troubled youth for whom he looks after. Basically, a man takes a group of troubled kids and turns them into a football team to teach them how to work with others - many of them are gang members who involved themselves with crime, guns and even worse - it sounds simple, but it's an amazing story. Anyway, being an athlete myself I find inspiration from stories like this one. One of my favorite scenes is when Sean (the counselor) puts on a football uniform and confronts one of his players in an attempt to give them confidence. Not only is it motivational in words, it is motivational in action as well.

Watch the whole scene to "get it," but my favorite part is this...

"Do it again!!! We're gonna stay out here all day if it kills us, Weathers...you are gonna put me on my ass. Now, keep your head up, accelerate, put your shoulder down and run through me!!!

:Weathers looks around at his teammates:

What are you looking at? Don't look at them. They aint gonna help you out here, Wiillie. You got no homeboys, you got no help. You damn sure aint got no gun and you can't run away. You got nobody but yourself, but God damnit that's all you need!!! Believe in yourself and KNOCK ME ON MY ASS!!!"

 
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People think that a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants.
But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.
A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.
Elizabeth Gilbert, "Eat, Pray, Love"

"I send you light and love."

I LOVE the book and movie!
So inspirational to me...The true journey of finding out who you are...what do you like/love....what's truly important and how do you really want to live your life...Finding your spiritual compass and worldly compass -then balancing the two.

Just brilliant!
 
From the movie Coach Carter, based on a true story.

"Not quite your storybook ending, huh? Not for us anyway. But, you men played like champions. You never gave up and champions hold their heads high. What you achieved goes way beyond the win/loss column or what's going to be written on the front page of the sports section tomorrow. You've achieved something that some people spend their whole lives trying find. What you achieved is that ever-elusive victory within. And, gentlemen? I am so proud of you. Four months ago when I took the job at Richmond I had a plan. That plan failed. I came to coach basketball players and you became students. I came to teach boys and you became men. And, for that, I thank you."

 
Not really a speech, but certainly a powerful moment in a powerful film.

"I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is." Brilliant.

Nobody is perfect. Especially not me. We all make mistakes. We all screw up from time to time. We all hurt the people we care about the most in our lives. But, deep down inside, love is love. Sometimes, I replay this movie moment in my head to remind myself it's ok to not be perfect, it's ok to not always be right or do the right thing, it's ok to disappoint others...as long as you love them. Because, if you love them, and if you understand what love is (like Forrest) then you will eventually overcome your imperfections and those you love will see just how hard you are trying - imperfections and all.

 
Rocky speech always makes me tear up, even when I know the scene is coming every time I re-watch the movie. But I have one video, it's not really a speech, but a story. I think it's inspiring.

 
Rudy is my favorite movie, hands down, of all-time and there are a thousand parts that could be quoted as "inspirational," but (if you've seen the move at least) this is one of the most inspirational scenes...

 
I can't believe I'm sharing this, mostly because my wife totally wants to nail the dude in this video harder than a roofer wants to nail a...WELL...YOU GET THE POINT...ANYWAY, Ashton Kutcher completely NAILS this speech and I certainly find inspiration from it.

 
Once again, Rudy, the scene where he FINALLY gets accepted to Notre Dame. If you see the whole movie you CRY at this scene.

:(

PS - I have yet to watch this movie in front of Jen because I fear that she will look at me as less of a man due to the INEVITABLE CRYING I would do when watching this film. I mean, DUDE...it's RUDY. And, I'm a DUDE.
 
If you don't know about the movie "We Are Marshall" then here is some important information...

Marshall is a college in West Virginia that suffered a horrible tragedy in 1970 when a plane crash killed many members of their football team, coaching staff and more. The movie "We Are Marshall" addresses the crash and the future that followed, including the continuation of the football program which was lead by a newly hired head coach, Jack Lengyel.

Coach Lengyel had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he accepted the job as the Marshall head football coach, but he did an excellent job (as depicted by Matthew McConaughey). This scene is when Coach Lengyel talks to his team at the grave site of the players who died during the tragic plane crash.

 
As a parent I find this moment/speech absolutely heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. This is an AMAZING movie that showcases how hard work and determination can lead to amazing things in life, but one of the most beautiful scenes in this movie is between a father and son during an innocent basketball game. Will Smith (the lead actor) pretty much implies to his son that he shouldn't waste his time playing basketball because it won't get him anywhere. However, after seeing the pure defeat on his son's face, the absolute QUIT and DEVASTATION that consumes him, Will Smith realizes what he has done. And, his following speech is absolutely fucking amazing...and it inspires me to raise my children using the same attitude every...single...day.

 
For those of you who don't know, C.T. Fletcher is bodybuilder and powerlifter who built a pretty solid career for himself, not only as someone who proved himself in weight lifting competitions, but as one hell of a motivational speaker as well (he's got quite a lot of videos out there if you want to look them up). For the last decade or so he has dealt with major heart problems, almost dying back in the early 2000's when his heart stopped beating. At that time he was given a pace maker to keep him alive. Recently, C.T. underwent a heart transplant and as I was catching up on his progress tonight I came across the video below.

The part I find most motivational is his pure grit and determination to overcome his physical obstacles, even after falling while attempting to run (@2:00). His genuine drive and raw passion to respect and honor the gift of life his heart donor blessed him with is just epic. What gets me most is the 'interview' clip of him talking after his fall. Like I said - epic.

 
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ChefChiTown said:
Not really a speech, but certainly a powerful moment in a powerful film.

"I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is." Brilliant.

Nobody is perfect. Especially not me. We all make mistakes. We all screw up from time to time. We all hurt the people we care about the most in our lives. But, deep down inside, love is love. Sometimes, I replay this movie moment in my head to remind myself it's ok to not be perfect, it's ok to not always be right or do the right thing, it's ok to disappoint others...as long as you love them. Because, if you love them, and if you understand what love is (like Forrest) then you will eventually overcome your imperfections and those you love will see just how hard you are trying - imperfections and all.

Click to expand...


<3
 
I love this one
 
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