Recently I saw the movie "Rudy". It is a wonderful movie that has an important message for all teenagers. Rudy was a person who had big and great dreams. People said he could never fulfill them. They were thought of as "impossible". They thought he would become a "nobody". But he didn’t listen to them. When people taunted him, he only became more determined. Rudy had to go through a whole lot of suffering to achieve his goals. But he had an incredibly strong will and lots of endurance, not to mention being a little stubborn. Thanks to that, Rudy slowly but surely overcame them.

Rudy had several goals he wanted to achieve in his lifetime. One goal was for him to attend Notre Dame, a famous college respected and known by many. It was nationally acclaimed. He wanted to do this because in the beginning, his grades were low and he wanted to show everyone that he could and would get a decent education. People thought he could only get a blue-collar job such as a janitor. They were of course, later proven wrong. Plus, he didn’t want to get any ordinary education, but an excellent one instead. His second goal was to make the college’s football team. He wanted to do this because everyone in his family was a huge fan of Notre Dame’s football team. He wanted to make his family proud of him. His final goal was to show everyone that he wasn’t a loser. He wanted to prove to everyone who said he couldn’t achieve his "impossible" dreams wrong. Of course, he later did that and became a shining beacon of hope to many.

The obstacles he faced didn’t seem too bad at first but did greatly hinder his progress. One obstacle was that he wasn’t very smart. The main cause of this was that earlier on in his life in high school, he never tried really hard. The grades he earned clearly showed that. With only mediocre grades, there wasn’t a chance he could get into Notre Dame. Fortunately, he realized that later on. Notre Dame was a very good college and had very high standards. He didn’t want to go to any average college at all. He wanted to surprise everyone. He wanted to show them that he could change from a poor student to excellent. He also obviously couldn’t make the football team if he couldn’t even get into the school itself. The other obstacles were that he wasn’t very big or athletic. Those two factors are almost necessary to play football. Without being huge or athletic, playing football is a nightmare and several complications can arrive such as you getting hurt easily. That would be very true if a 120 pound, 5-foot player was put up with 230 pound, 7-foot players.

Rudy took several steps to making his dreams realities. To boost his academic progress, he had the help of a tutor. Of course, the tutor wouldn’t just tutor him for free. He had to have something in return. Unfortunately, Rudy didn’t have any money. Money was what the tutor wanted most. But there was an alternative. Rudy was an outgoing person who wasn’t shy around people, especially girls. The tutor was really shy and wanted to have a girlfriend badly. He was very desperate to have one and asked for Rudy to introduce him to some girls instead of money. Through Rudy’s skills, the tutor got a girlfriend in return for his tutoring services. Rudy also attended a small college nearby called Holy Cross. But his academic ability wasn’t the only thing he needed to get into Notre Dame. Rudy also needed money. He got that from a job as groundskeeper of the Notre Dame football stadium. The work was very hard and the pay very low. But he didn’t mind, as long he could get into the college of his dreams. He obviously couldn’t get taller and more physically adept. But to get money and a good education was a very good start, at least for him.

I really don’t think I can relate to Rudy at all. I feel this way because of the fact that I’m still quite young and don’t really need to plan out my life yet, or at least I don’t feel like it right now. Major problems or obstacles that could deter my progress haven’t shown up yet, such as bad grades or a physical disorder. They probably will show up, as I grow older. Since I haven’t had any consequential obstacles or problems yet, there is just no way I can take steps of overcome them. I think I will be able to relate to Rudy as I grow older and face greater challenges. If I had to have lifetime dreams right now, they would be just two. One would be for me to have a very good, well-paying job and so be financially secure. The second one would be for me to be happy. If I had to have obstacles right now, I would probably have just one. It would be the fact that I am not one to be motivated easily and so am slow to get started on whatever I want to do.

In conclusion, Rudy was an ordinary person who in the end, turned out to be extraordinary. He achieved his goals despite many difficulties. Because of this, his achievements became well known. In the very end, people who didn’t even know him very well cheered him on like they were his lifetime friends! He never gave up and stuck to his goals and ideals. He let nobody discourage him. With his achievements, he showed people that anything was possible. People simply had to try their very best and sacrifice things they didn’t want to. Those two things are much "easier said than done". I’ve learned that the hard way.