Montage Vision

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(Trumpet Synth)

Duh duuh duuuuuuh, duh duuh duuuuuuh, duh duuh duuuuuuh, duh duuh duuuuuuh.

Duh duh duuuh duh duh duuuh, duh duh duuuh duh duuh duh duuuuh duh duuuuuuuuuuuh.

(Drum-fill)… more duh duh duuuhs.

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Do you know the song? What if I quoted the movie? – “Adrian!”

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Okay, now some of you may recognize all the duhs as my poor attempt at translating the montage theme from Rocky into words.

In this training montage, Rocky jogs with bricks, runs up a bunch of stairs, trains with a speed bag, and even punches refrigerating meat. He does this to develop his skills and body for his big fight at the end of the movie.

The montage lasts for a little under three minutes. Looking around online, I found out that this three minutes represents roughly three weeks of training (so about one minute is shown per week of work).

Even though it’s a short sequence, the audience gets excited for Rocky’s fight, and the music selection helps grow the excitement a great deal.

Training montages are now a staple in cinema. They effectively show the hero’s journey without having to show it in real time – which would bore audiences. This is where the cinema has done us a disservice.

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The trouble with Training Montages

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A question I often ask myself is, “A year from now, what would you like to look back on and see you accomplished?” My mind will instantly produce images and pictures of skills I want to learn or places I want to see. It conveniently displays these thoughts in a short sequence. There’s no way I would be able to imagine what a year would feel like in a single moment. It’s like my brain has created my very own training montage. The only problem is that I haven’t done any of the ‘training’ yet.

The reality of the situation is that I’ll have to live out all of the pictures in my head in real time. 30 minutes a day practicing a skill is 30 minutes spent. The images in my head also don’t account for planning, setting up a space to practice, working a day job, and navigating anything else life throws at me.

Why can this be a problem? For me, the images set an unrealistic expectation for what the work will be like. On multiple occasions, having these expectations can destroy my motivation.

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Recently, I’ve listened to the audiobook version of Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop. The premise of the book is to add some powerful assertions to your toolbelt. One of these assertions is “I expect nothing and accept everything”.

Gary (maybe he prefers John?) explains that if what you expect and what’s reality vary too much, you’re going to experience discomfort. Sometimes it’s a lot of discomfort.

My personal training montage is setting an expectation that very little effort is going to be needed, on my part, to create the change I want.

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Instead of focusing on your expectation, Gary recommends focusing on what’s in front of you. Because that’s all you have.

If you’re at the gym, just work out. If you have a paper to write, write the paper. The work in front of you will get you to where you’re going. And at the very least you’ll feel good about getting something done.

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If we do the work consistently over time, something cool happens – we create a true montage to be proud of.

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I don’t know about you, but even my clearest memories of great times or achievements come to me as fragments. People, places, and events all morph together in a sequence, and maybe they’re even accompanied by music. Sound familiar?

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The next time you’re facing the decision of whether or not to put the work in, ask yourself…

“When I look back on what I’ve done, will I be proud of the montage I’ve created?”

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Rocky’s training montage is iconic, but I believe we each have the ability to create a life that cinema couldn’t even begin to capture.

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Here’s to working on what’s in front of you.

PS. A song that pumps you up can help.

Questions for You

Knowing that one day you’ll look back, what would you like to see?

What song pumps you up?

How could you use this song in the moment to get the work done?

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I’d love to hear from you! Comment Below!

Disclaimer: Any links or mentions of companies/brands included in this newsletter are for educational use only. I’m not currently endorsing or affiliated with any products/companies/brands shared in this newsletter. Posts are inspired by my own experiences and research in various topics. I’m a student of the progress process.