Authenticity - I love that word and what it represents.

At Pine and Gilmore's 2002 thinkAbout, Tim Sanders told us, "Everyone is craving authenticity and stories render authenticity."  That's why you need to buy and read Rocky Stories. You'll laugh, cry, and be inspired. The book is a collection of "Tales of Love, Hope, and Happiness at America's Most Famous Steps." Sylvester Stallone says in the foreward, "You can't borrow Superman's cape. You can't use the Jedi laser sword. But the steps are there." And runners, sometimes hundreds a day, experience them.

In his introduction, the book's author, Michael Vitez writes that the "Rocky Steps" (as the 72 steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are called) "are one of the most authentic places in the country."  And, as you read the 52 runners' stories he tells (from the hundreds collected), along with photographs by Tom Gralish, you might agree.

In the past two years, I've been to Philadelphia over ten times and had yet to run and experience the steps. Mike Crusi, a principal at TargetX, sent me the link to the NPR report (click to read and listen) about the book and then gifted me a copy of the book a week later when I was in Philadelphia. I couldn't put the book down: reading it on the SEPTA train, at the airport, on the flight and on the MARTA train ride home in Atlanta.  When I was finished, I pondered when I would run the Rocky steps.

My campus visit consulting work with TargetX brought me back to the Philadelphia area the next week and as a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift, my colleague Linda Niles arranged for us to have coffee with the author. What an honor to meet Michael Vitez. He's as real as the stories and people in his book. It was a privilege to to hear the book's behind the scenes stories. We talked about the power of stories and he shared that his theme is "Stories will be our salvation!" As the Experience Economy Evangelist, I gave a resounding "Amen!" to that proclamation.

Linda and I were so inspired by it all that after our coffee and conversation with Michael, we made a beeline to the Rocky Steps, running them on a bright but brisk (22 degrees and windy) day, humming "Gonna Fly Now!" as we ran. What a memorable and authentic experience. For us, it was confirmation of our work to help colleges and tour guides tell more and better stories and perhaps to record a few along the way!

Have you run the Rocky Steps or read Rocky Stories? Please click comments and share your story or review. 

Click photos to enlarge.