On February 1, 2024, Carl Weather, who played the iconic World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, passed away at age 76. Carl was a great actor, even a greater man. He was all heart.
As a kid watching the Rocky movies, I loved Apollo. Apollo was the Man. Back then, I was the short fat ugly nerd, who wasn’t good at any sports. Honestly, Carl Weathers and Sylvester Stallone as Apollo and Rocky inspired me to work out and get in shape.
After watching Rocky III over the summer, I got a punching bag, started jumping rope, doing sit ups, and eating healthier. In grad school I started weightlifting and taking aerobics class. I lost 35 pounds, started looking better, and got more confidence in myself.
After I moved up to Los Angeles for my satellite systems engineering career, I restarted Aikido training with the late Mizukami Sensei. When I was 12 years old, Mom made me take Aikido. I stopped after about 3 years when I attended Iolani School, a prestigious college prep school, thinking that I needed to concentrate on my studies. After all, my parents paid a lot of money for that. At one point in my weightlifting training, I bench pressed 250 pounds. After 35 years of Aikido training, I’m Godan (5th degree black belt).
In many ways, Carl Weathers inspired me on my path to who I am now. Nothing, but mad love and respect to Carl. Rest in peace. “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…”
My favorite Rocky movie is Rocky III. In Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone as Rocky is brutally knocked out by ferocious Contender Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T. Rocky’s rival and former Champion Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, proposes to train Rocky. Rocky can’t overpower the devastating Clubber Lang. He needs to reinvent his boxing style and himself to have a chance to defeat Lang.
Apollo is the only man who can train Rocky for that fight. Apollo brings Rocky to his original gym in Los Angeles. They go Old School in their training.
In my favorite movie moment, Apollo schools Rocky in the boxing ring. He mercilessly lands right hooks to Rocky’s head. Rocky of course is wearing head gear.
Apollo stops. He screams, “What’s the matter with you?!”
Rocky mutters, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow.”
Apollo yells, “There is no tomorrow! There is no tomorrow!”
There is no tomorrow. There is no future. The future hasn’t happened. There is no past. There is only now. There is only present in the moment. That’s all I have. That’s all that we have.
I wasn’t going to lose weight and get in shape, if I did nothing in the present. Just sit on my fat ass. Whatever I did in the past got me to where I was. I couldn’t do anything about that. Lady MacBeth said, “What’s done cannot be undone.” The past is the past. I had to work on myself in the present. That’s all that I could do. Like Apollo said, “There is no tomorrow!” There is only now.
I’m on the journey to fall madly and deeply in love. I’ve come a long way since I was that short fat ugly nerd watching Rocky III. Still, I’m not handsome. I’m 5’3”. I’m not exactly rich. I date on Match dot com. I get that I’m not exactly what women want. That’s who I am now. I’m never going to look like Hugh Jackman or Keanu Reeves. I’ll never be 6 feet tall. There is no tomorrow for that, at all.
I can be the best man that I can be in the present. Now. I let go my fear inside that I’m not good enough for women over, and over, and over again. I love myself for who I am and forgive myself for who I’m in the present. Now.
Maybe there is some woman out there who doesn’t really care about how I look. She might be inspired by my dedication to Aikido training, teaching, and working on myself. She might get value from my writing about loving and forgiving thine own self on The Good Men Project.
Who knows? Lightening could strike. There is no tomorrow. Still, falling madly and deeply in love is possible tomorrow. So I just train in the present. Now.
—
Photo by Eyasu Etsub on Unsplash
—
***
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
