It’s been several months since I’ve used a song’s lyrics to teach. The last time I did that was with The Lifestyle Design Anthem: “My Way”. Today I grabbed a song from that 80’s feel good movie, The Karate Kid.
“You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito
Try to be best
‘Cause you’re only a man
And a man’s gotta learn to take it.
Try to believe
Though the going gets rough
That you gotta hang tough to make it.
Life is going to throw shit at you from time to time. No amount of adhering to the Law of Attraction is going to guarantee you a sweet life. It’s only when you’ve been tested by the fires of hardship do you know if you’re a “man” (i.e. a strong person).
You must learn how to deal with hardship. You can’t let hardship and trials bring you down. Remember, there’s always someone in the world much worse off than you. You can only become the best in whatever endeavor you embark on if you learn to take life’s tests and torments. Life does that to make you a stronger and better person.
Go a step further than the lyrics tell you to. Don’t just try to believe, but believe with all your being that you must get through the downs in life. To be successful and happy in life you have to persevere through pain and suffering from time to time.
History repeats itself
Try and you’ll succeed.
Never doubt that you’re the one
And you can have your dreams!
Before you can achieve anything great, you have to first start trying things. Remember the adages, “Fail fast and fail often” and “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” You must be confident that you’re good enough to achieve your dreams. Do you still doubt? Then find stories of inspirational people from old and modern times. There are countless stories where you can see real people overcoming terrible odds to reach their dreams.
You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down.
Did you know that you have the potential to be the best in your field or niche. Perhaps you think you haven’t got the genetics or I.Q. to succeed. These can be overcome. Work harder; work more efficiently; form an alliance; learn more; visualize; train your mind; find a mentor, etc. These are some ways you can become the best in what you attempt to do.
Finally, you may get knocked down, but nothing can keep you down. It’s like how Sarah Connor said in the original Terminator movie to Kyle after he had the crap beaten out of him, “On your feet, soldier, on your feet!” In other words, when you’re down, you must get back up.
Fight ‘til the end
‘Cause your life will depend
On the strength that you have inside you.
The way your life turns out depends how much fight you have in you. Think of succeeding in life as going all ten rounds in a boxing match. To last the ten rounds you need an inner strength where you can draw on motivation and focus. If you don’t have much inner strength, then don’t expect to get all you want from life.
Ah you gotta be proud
starin’ out in the cloud
When the odds in the game defy you.
Try your best to win them all
and one day time will tell
when you’re the one that’s standing there
you’ll reach the final bell!
The feeling you get from overcoming great odds can give you a high like no Class A drug can. However, it will need time. Patience is needed if you’re going to be the best.
You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down.
(Repeated)
Fight ‘til you drop
never stop
can’t give up
Til you reach the top (FIGHT!)
You’re the best in town (FIGHT!)
Listen to that sound
A little bit of all you got
Can never bring you down.
Use “the best in town” metaphorically for being the best in your niche or field. You’ll never give up if you truly want to be the best. You’ll keep on punching just like Rocky Balboa did in those fights. In reality, whatever comes against you is only a fraction of what you have inside you. You can overcome anything.
You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Perhaps you’re not the best yet, but you can be. It’s up to you to prove me right.
Okay, that’s personal development through song for today. Sit back and relax and enjoy the music video with fight scenes from that classic 80’s feel good movie, The Karate Kid. Enjoy, possums!
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- Confessions Of A Personal Development Junkie.
- How Self-confidence Can Strengthen Your Lifestyle Design And Personal Development.
- Personal Development By George Clooney: How Much Does Your Life Weigh?
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G'day! I'm Gordie, founder and editor-in-chief of Lifestyle Design For You. I want to welcome you to the center of the universe when it comes to lifestyle design and personal development blogs. We're a team of ten writers providing you with articles to help nourish your mind and improve your life. Lifestyle design is about designing your life so you can do what you want when you want. 
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
“Remember, there’s always someone in the world much worse off than you.”
We usually feel really bad for the small bad things that happen in our lives. They seem awful and terrible things to us, and most of the time they are not. Almost all of these situations are not difficult to overcome. We just have to wake up! They are nothing compared to the real tragedies a lot of people suffer in the world.
Isaac – Life is simpler´s last blog ..How to use credit cards
Hi Isaac,
Just look at the terrible life the Haitians had before the earthquake last week and then they have all this. Those people are looking at restarting their lives with no help from their government. We can overcome all things if we hang in there.
Lol, nice song man
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..A Tremendous Money Saver – Wait 48 Hours Before Buying Anything
Classic 80′s. Great for movie montages. Of Rocky had the best montages.
Great flashback to the 80s and a fantastic way to blend this into a really solid post!
Striving to be the best in the face of bad time is a really rewarding thing once you overcome the issues. Keep that fighting spirit!
Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile
Hey Jimi,
I love the message in the movie, Karate Kid. If some little pimp squeek like he could succeed, imagine what we can do.
I don’t really know why but reading your post made me feel a bit sad. I totally understand the message behind your post, the need to dig in and keep working regardless but sometimes there’s no fight left. Telling someone who’s knocked out that they need to keep fighting is a waste of words.
What I think I really mean is that I feel the need to acknowledge that sometimes we have to allow ourselves room to recover. Going back to the fighting analogy, the only way a fighter can get up and continue is if he gives his body the chance to recover. Then, having taken on board what he needs, he can fight on.
Same with us. We can’t fight and fight and fight. We need time to rest, time with loved ones and time to regroup.
Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..How A Pot Of Dead Basil Made Me Smile Today
Hi Eleanor,
I agree that we need time to recover and that time depends on many things, but in the end I know you agree that one has to get back up. It would be wrong to have someone who just went through a really bad experience to be told, come on, fight. People need comforting too.
Your latest blog post title makes me sad. Talking about dead basil. Lol!
Thanks for coming by again.
I do agree totally, people have got to get back up again. It’s a massive challenge to be around someone who is constantly low and ultimately, they need to be gently lifted back up.
Sorry my basil made you sad
Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..How To Write A Title That Really Clicks
I am undergoing a late-life management course at work (it means I’m an old fart but have some useful shelf life!) and I have just started looking at emotional intelligence and it’s quite a fascinating field.
But going back to my old hippy days you cannot just keep fighting; life is a constant flow and that usually involves fluctuation, up and down. The skill is learning when you are on a downward curve to conserve energy for the upward swing.
Kevin Tea´s last blog ..Cloud Computing – What Happens When The Connection Crashes and Burns?
Ah, so even on the downward flow you’re still preparing to fight. Thanks for proving my point, Kevin.
Very interesting post and comments (yes, read everyone of them!)
Re fighting all the time. I don’t think we do or that life expects us to but when thrown a situation where its do or die, you have to fight even if you have no more strength left, or you die (i.e., that soldier being told to get back up on his feet).
I believe that before life grants us a huge upswing, she throws us a huge challenge, a “test” to see if we are able to handle the huge upswing that is waiting for us. We always come through the challenge but how we handle it and ourselves while in the midst of the turmoil determines whether we move up, stay the same or downshift. A particularly difficult challenge changes your mindset, but only you have the power to determine how that mindset will serve you.
My two cents
best……………valentina
Valentina´s last blog ..Golden Nuggets for Your Blog Income
What a beautiful name you have, Valentina.
Everyone meets challenges differently which often accounts for varying degrees of success.
Love this song!
Finding inspiration to better yourself from music is a great idea.
Very original post Gordie. Like it
Thanks, Ben.
I think it’s cool to learn from different kinds of resources and simple everyday things around us.
The main idea is to not give up. I’m a firm believer that giving up should never be an option if you’re fighting for something that you want with all of your heart to achieve.
I also think that we often create our own opponents out of thin air. For example, worrying about the small things in life or about things that will most likely never happen, tend to add to the challenges we face. Sometimes we’re only fighting against a butterfly (not that I’d attack a butterfly without being provoked) but we make it harder for ourselves and end up thinking we are fighting against a polar bear.
Earl´s last blog ..Long-time Friends and Long-term Travel
That’s true, Earl.
Sometimes we do create our enemies through worry. Worry is the silent killer of dreams and happiness.
Doubt is a real killer. Too many people don’t even try a new venture because of self doubt, their doubt stops them from even trying. It’s better to try and fail, to learn from that failure than not to try at all.
Imagine the joy when a venture comes to fruition because you did not let doubt get in your way.
Sire´s last blog ..The Honest Truth About The SFI Affiliate
Hey Sire,
My favorite adage as of late has been, “Fail fast and fail often.”
Add “learn heaps” at the end and you should be right.
Sire´s last blog ..The Honest Truth About The SFI Affiliate
Yes, good point, Sire. No use in failing and not learning. I actually mentioned that in my 3 F’s post.
Great Gordie, you have finally lost the plot. Love it
Jörgen Sundberg´s last blog ..Winning Resume Writing Guide Part I: Preparation
I lost it a long time ago, man.
Hi Gordie – great post about a great song and great movie! What a great era for this type of thing…I was once going through a rough patch and I listened to this song everyday just to get me going. Having someone blaring into your headphones “You’re the best! aroud! nothing’s gonna ever keep you down!” definitely gets you moving…
I did a similar post a little ago about this and 4 other motivational songs from 80s movies – my analysis on “You’re the Best” isn’t nearly as in depth as yours, but you may enjoy it nonetheless:
http://motivationalsmartass.com/index.php/2009/12/5-great-motivational-songs-from-80s-movies/
Thanks!
Avish
Hi Avish,
Great! I’ll check out your songs too. There are some great 80’s songs out there that were used in movies. I guarantee that there will be at least one song from the Rocky movies, when I look.
Of course there is! How could there not be? But which one? that is the question…
I still think that the greatest use of a motivational montage in a movie has to be “Montage” from “Team America, World Police”.
It neatly sums up all the 80′s montage sequences, and has a catchy beat to it!
I don’t so much need a motivational song at the moment, more a swift kick up the jacksie with a pointy boot… When will this semester ever start!
Stuart´s last blog ..My Latest Publication.
Hey Stuart,
It sounds like your life is too cushy at the moment. 
Yes, that was the best montage clip ever!
Gordie, great song choice! hahah I love it!
Ken Kurosawa´s last blog ..A Proven Way to Boost Brain Performance in 30 Minutes
Hey, Ken.
Cheers.
Gordie – the photo of you at the top of the post said it all!
You got the chops, baby! I like how you said, “Patience is needed if you’re going to be the best.”
Well said, Jedi master.
Your faithful grasshopper.
~Lori
Lori´s last blog ..How to Not Blow Up Your Blog In Disgust After Six Months
Hi Grasshopper Lori.
It’s a pleasant surprise to have your melodious chirping in the comments section again. Don’t be a stranger, you hear?
Gordie,
Thanks for sharing this song…Now I have grew up my list of inspiring songs to boost self confidence.
Glad to be of service, Sarinee.
I could totally hear that song! I remember being at the theater the night it was released, too. When you said “you may get knocked down, but nothing can keep you down” I immediately hear Chumbawamba ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc ~ and had to find a video or something.
Failure, the other F-word. Although there is nothing wrong with failure [or the other F-word, I suppose]. If you never fail, you never truly learn. Shake it off and keep going. The fun is in the journey anyway.
Anne´s last blog ..How to Rid Yourself of Negativity and Let the Happiness Inside
So true, Anne. We have to look at life as a journey that needs to be enjoyed with its successes and failures.
I agree with Eleanor that sometimes one needs time to recover.
Ps: Not related.. Have you lost weight? You look like you have in your pic.
Rose´s last blog ..Alexa Ranking Explained
If I stretch out, all the flabbiness tends to get sucked in so it gives the impression of losing more than I actually have. The biggest challenge for me is not being able to exercise outside due to the pollution. It may mean if I want to speed things up a bit I may have to end up forking out and going to a gym. I’m going to phone around a couple of gyms today to get an idea.
Hi Gordie,
cool interpretation of the song. Life is an incredible journey, even though sometimes it gets really hard but also it is good to know that such hardships are normal, they can’t even be seen as failures but rather opportunities to learn from:)
Justyna´s last blog ..Introduction to Speed Reading Techniques Part II