Winners Think Alike! – The Mindset Of A Champion
Besides being inspired by my parents, I’ve always drawn influence from iconic figures who have been exceptional in their field. One of the individuals that I drew inspiration from whilst growing up is the heavy weight boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who exemplifies the power of self-belief. One thing I’ve learned through successful individuals is that you can never become a champion in your field if you do not posses the mindset of a winner; the victory of the battle is always won before the battle starts.
If you want to become a winner then you must first condition your mind to think like one. Here is an inspirational extract I’d like to share with you from Muhammad Ali’s book The Soul Of A Butterfly.
Enjoy the read.
All of my life, if I wanted to do something, I studied those who were good at it; then I memorized, what I learned, and believed that I could do it too, Then I went out and did it.
I’m going to share a little secret with you.
Running has always been a source of my stamina. Early in my career I learned to run until I was tired, then run even more after that. But all the running I did before the fatigue and pain was just the introduction to my workout.
The real conditioning began when the pain set in. That was when it was time to start pushing. That was when I would count every mile as extra strength and stamina. What counts in the ring is what you can do after you’re exhausted. The same is true of life. Outrun the people who quit when they feel discomfort, outrun the people who stop because of despair, outrun the people who are delayed because of prejudice, outrun the people who surrender to failure, and outrun the opponent who loses sight of the goal. Because if you want to win, the will can never retire, the race can never stop, and faith can never weaken.
Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something deep inside a desire, a dream, and a vision.
They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. When I was boxing I would set a goal for myself to demonstrate to other people what could be done, and to prove to myself that anything was possible when I set a goal then worked to achieve it. We create our own realities according to our thoughts and beliefs. The critics who told me what I couldn’t do didn’t know as well as I what I was capable of. Everyone wins and everyone loses every now and again. If we didn’t experience a loss we would never know what we are capable of. The important thing to remember is: You don’t really lose when you fight for what you believe in. You lose when you fail to fight for what you care about.
Muhammad Ali