Having Dreams is What Makes Life Tolerable — Lessons from Rudy

Pursuing your dreams is the ultimate hero’s journey. There is no better cinematic example of that than 1993’s Rudy starring Sean Astin, who you might remember from my Goonies post. I love watching Rudy for its relatable story of a person pursuing a seemingly impossible goal and persevering through endless trials and tribulations. Throughout my adult life I have had a number of business experiences where obstacles seemed insurmountable. But I’ve always been able to turn on a movie like Rudy for inspiration.

When the movie first came out, I was actually applying to Notre Dame. It had been MY dream, an elusive goal since elementary school. At first, I was a little suspect of the underdog story because here I was, trying to enter the front door while Rudy sneaked in the back. In time, when life started to happen to me, I grew to relate to the struggles Rudy faced as I faced my own set of life challenges. And I still do. Now more than ever.

Here are five things that Rudy had that we all need while struggling to chase our dreams.

1. He had a goal — Rudy was single-minded about his goal ofplaying football for the Irish - no matter how bleak his prospects were. He was discouraged by others every step along the way but he never wavered in his pursuit.

2. He had support and guidance from a few close friends — Rudy’s friend Pete is the greatest. In the movie he offered the line, “having dreams is what makes life tolerable.” I love that. As we are pulling our lives together we need to lean on a few important people. We all need a Pete.

3. He passion and will — Even though he was 5 foot nothing weighing a hundred and nothing, Rudy showed passion and desire. Coaches look for that on the field, bosses look for that at work. Investors like me look for that when hearing pitches. Passion and will, will take you far in life, even when talent is lacking.

4. He had perseverance through endless struggle — Boy did he ever. Most heroes journey 1000 miles. It seems like Rudy’s was 10,000 miles. Let’s see, he was undereducated, broke, not particularly talented, and kind of naive. Rudy saw rejection at every turn. But he never gave up.

5. He had humor and grace and an infectious spirit — Rudy was a fun guy to hang out with. I’d like to be friends with Rudy. I’d kinda like to be Pete (except for the dying part).

When Rudy came out, I’ll admit, I was a bit of a hater. I eventually got admitted to Notre Dame and was your typical ordinary student. I worked hard when I was younger, had some luck, a ton of good fortune, and was a driven all-around student. I had it easy.

It was not until I was older that I really felt Rudy’s struggle. There were times where I was overwhelmed, in over my head, where my dreams were way beyond my grasp, and where the hill I needed to climb to the next plateau was pretty steep. Over the years I’ve found comfort in Rudy’s story, as if to say, “if Rudy can persevere through his struggle, so can I”.

And so can you. LET’S DO THIS!!!