The Shawshank Redemption flopped in theaters, $16 million worldwide on a $25 million budget, opening weekend just $727,000 in 1994, it disappeared almost immediately.
It lost all seven Oscar nominations to Forrest Gump, no awards, no box office, the studio labeled it a failure and the director walked away devastated.
Then something quiet started happening, VHS rentals, cable reruns, someone watching it alone on a Tuesday night and calling a friend the next morning.
People who watched it told their friends, their friends told more people, it spread slowly, one recommendation at a time, no marketing push just genuine word of mouth.
By 2008 it reached number one on IMDb, the audience voted it the greatest film ever made and it has stayed there ever since.
It took 14 years to get there, a box office bomb turned into the highest rated film in history, built entirely by viewers long after the studio had already moved on.
This post is A BIG thank you to ALL my family, friends and so many other people who have reached out to me!
On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands…when meningitis took over my brain, & unbeknownst to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for 8 days to help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!….
After being given a 50/50 chance of surviving, I came out of the induced coma 8 days later…not able to walk or talk. And yet 4 days after that, with the doctors in disbelief, I walked, I talked and proved to them all why I should be released from hospital to start my recovery.
So happy to be home, to be able to put my feet in the sand on the beach and to start thanking all those people that reached out to me and my family in their unwaivering support.
This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change & how precious time is!
There are so many wonderful people in this world … from paramedics (at Mermaid Waters Ambulance), doctors & nurses (at Gold Coast University Hospital) … to family, friends and people I didn’t even know. I feel like I met all these fantastic people in the past 3 weeks, or they reached out to me through messages of love and support.
I am so grateful to you all.
Thank you! 🙏
Bring on 2026 …I’m back! 💫
👋 The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is done and we've had a whopping 1,127 180s 🎯
That’s £1,127,000 we're donating to @ProstateUK as part of THE EVEN BIGGER 180 🔥
Use the risk checker, it could save your life: https://t.co/xVJOFp0uiK
@OfficialPDC | @SkySports
There is little doubt that 2025 has been a momentous year for the Club and as we look forward with similar ambition to 2026, we would like to wish all our members, supporters and friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Roger Federer broke the internet with one statistic that will change how you see every setback in your life.
1,526 singles matches.
Won almost 80% of them.
20 Grand Slams. 103 titles.
Now answer honestly:
What percentage of total points do you think he won across his entire career?
70%? 65%? 60%?
Try … 54%.
He lost literally almost EVERY SECOND POINT he ever played for 24 years.
And still became one of the greatest of all time.
Watch him explain it himself (2:07 of pure life-changing wisdom):
“In tennis, perfection is impossible… When you lose every second point on average, you teach yourself to say:
‘Okay, I double-faulted — it’s only one point.’
‘Okay I got passed at the net — it’s only one point.’
Even a screaming overhead smash that ends up on SportsCenter Top 10… still just one point.
So when you’re playing your point, it has to be the most important thing in the world.
The moment it’s over — it’s behind you.
That mindset frees you to attack the next point, and the next, and the next with absolute intensity and clarity.”
Then he looked at the crowd and said the line that hit a billion people in the soul:
“The real sign of a champion is not that they win every point.
It’s that they lose again and again and again… and have learned how to deal with it.
Negative energy is wasted energy.
Cry it out if you have to. Then force a smile.
Move on. Be relentless. Adapt. Grow.
Work harder — and work smarter.”
Save this post.
The next time you lose a deal, bomb a presentation, get ghosted, miss a deadline, or just have “one of those days” — come back here and read it again.
You’re not falling behind.
You’re just in the 46%.
And the 46% is exactly where every single legend has spent most of their career.
Keep playing the next point.
(full 2:07 clip — sound on)
A Gary Speed Memorial Bench has been unveiled at @Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium this afternoon.
We lay flowers in memory of our former player, who tragically passed away 14 years ago 🖤🤍
Gary Speed, fine player and even finer human being, passed away 14 years ago today. On Saturday, Everton unveil the Gary Speed Memorial Bench at Hill Dickinson Stadium before the game with Newcastle United, who he also represented with such distinction. The bench bears the message: “IN MEMORY OF GARY SPEED, EVERTONIAN, CAPTAIN, LEADER 1969–2011. A place for what is often unspoken. A place to sit, share and listen.”
The “talking bench” is one of a series introduced across the UK. In the words of @Everton, it’s “a simple but powerful way to encourage conversation, tackle loneliness and isolation, and signpost people to mental health support”. Via a QR code to programmes delivered by Everton In The Community.
“As part of the Club’s commitment to the Premier League’s ‘Together Against Suicide’ pilot, trained @EITC staff will be based in the area around the bench before every home fixture. Supporters who wish to talk, seek support, or learn more about the services available will be able to approach staff confidentially and without appointment”.
The bench, which has the full blessing of Speed’s family, was proposed by @EFC_FansForum as “a meaningful and positive legacy in Gary’s name”. Everton add that it's "a permanent space for reflection, conversation and connection - and a reminder that no Evertonian ever has to struggle alone". #EFC
The Champions Ball 🕺🏻🪩💃🏻
Last night the Club came together, to celebrate the successes of all the senior sides throughout the 2025 season.
From our Ladies team, through to our First XI, we covered the lot, including that special day at Lord’s on the final day of the season.
Thank you to all our amazing volunteers and to those who attended our Bonfire & Firework Night on Saturday evening.
We hope to see you all again next year! 🔥
📸: @stratusimagery
For me it would be Warne. That’s not because of cricket bias. That’s because there are footballers who come close to Ronaldo. There isn’t one single cricketer, that comes close to Shane Warne.