Muhammad Ali is one of the most successful boxers in the world. He was the first one to win a boxing world championship three times. He started boxing at the age of 12 and won his first world championship at the age of 22.
What can we learn from Muhammad Ali about winning?
1. Suffer now – celebrate later
Work hard for your future. Don’t wait for quick wins and never give up. Suffer now and celebrate later as a champion.
2. Winning is mental work
Winners are not made in the gym. It happens inside one’s head. If you really want to win, you need to have a burning desire to win, big dreams and a bright vision of where you want to be heading.
3. Positive affirmations generate belief
Ali was well known for how he shouted his affirmations before entering the boxing ring. His most well-known affirmations were: ”Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Nobody can beat Mohammad Ali.” and ”I am the greatest of all time.” People thought he was arrogant because of shouting these affirmations. Later he revealed that he repeated them only for himself because he was so afraid of entering the boxing ring. By repeating those affirmations he made himself the winning mindset.
4. Goals
Set yourself high goals and stick with them. Goals are the greatest source of energy.
5. Visualize yourself winning
Visualize the victory. Many times the human mind is full of fears and doubts. The competitive advantage of Ali was his ability to prepare for a victory, not the loss.
