Muhammad Ali: "The Greatest"
I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” ~ Muhammad Ali
From the moment a 12 year old kid called Cassius Clay, Jr. first
laced up a pair of boxing gloves, he no doubt knew that he was destined
for greatness in both the sport and in life. Always supremely confident
in his own abilities, Muhammad Ali – as he later became better known –
deservedly earned himself the nickname ‘The Greatest’.
Whether you’re a fan of boxing or not, Ali’s legendary fighting
spirit and positive attitude are an inspiration for anyone wanting to
achieve great things.
So, what can we learn about greatness in life from the words of wisdom of the ‘fighting philosopher’?
Ali was – and still is – the master showman, both inside and outside
the ring. The pre-match hype he generated was as entertaining and
eagerly anticipated as his bouts. He could deliver a mighty punch to an
opponent with a well aimed verbal jab.
Here are 9 of Muhammad Ali’s best quotes on greatness:
1. You’ve Got to Have a Vision
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from
something they have deep inside them- a desire, a dream, a vision. They
have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than
the skill.”
Ali always had a laser-focussed dream in mind – to become the best
boxer in the world. Every minute spent training and every strategic
punch thrown during a match was designed to make this vision a reality.
Having a vision for your future defines what you want to become and
the things you want to achieve. Your vision also allows you to develop
the actions you need to take to get there. A clear vision helps keep the
momentum going when difficult circumstances threaten to derail the
dream.
Knockout point:
Ask yourself what your ‘ideal’ future looks like. Use this as a
starting point to plan practically how to achieve this vision for your
life. Dream big.
2. You’ve Got to Set Goals
“What keeps me going is goals.”
Working towards challenging goals directly helps an athlete perform
better in their sport, and Ali set himself many tough goals on his way
to the top.
Goal setting is the process that helps you to be clear on what you
want, decide upon an action plan to help achieve it, take the necessary
steps, and to focus your time and energy on reaching your targets.
Knockout point: Work out the goals you want to achieve and develop an action plan to reach them.
3. Don’t Quit the Preparation Stage
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion”.”
Ali spent many gruelling hours losing blood and sweat in the practice
gyms, learning the moves and tactics of boxing. He saw training as a
tough but necessary part of his quest to be No. 1.
We’d all love to achieve overnight success in our efforts, but this
rarely happens. Success doesn’t come easy. It takes hard work and
preparation to gain the skills needed. But investing the time now will
pay off in the long run.
Knockout point:
Develop a training schedule and stick with it for the long term whether
you want to achieve success in losing weight, becoming fitter, gaining a
promotion at work, or whatever.
4. Meet Challenges Head On
“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.”
In the days before the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle” match, the
older Ali was seen as the underdog to his younger and stronger opponent,
George Foreman. After an exhausting duel, Ali was declared the winner.
He’d tackled the fight head on.
It’s often a temptation to give up on doing something difficult
because we see it as being too tough to achieve. Many people throw in
the towel before even giving it a try. But it’s really only by pushing
ourselves that we grow in confidence and develop the skills needed to be
successful.
Knockout point:
Be brave enough to face up to the more demanding tasks you’ve set
yourself – as well as the easy ones. Start with smaller challenges and
once you tick them off as ‘done’, move on to even greater ones.
5. Have the Courage to Take Risks
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
No one could accuse Ali of playing it safe when he stepped inside the ring.
Muhammad Ali by Andy Warhol
Most of us have our own ‘comfort zone’, a familiar place where we
limit what we do to only those things we know we can do successfully.
If you fear failure you will never take the risks needed for
excellent performance. As you apply goal setting to your life and see
the achievement of these goals, your self confidence will grow, helping
you to take even bigger risks.
Knockout point:
If it’s something that you aren’t sure about doing, think: “What am I
going to lose if I take the risk?” and “what could I gain from just
doing it?” Then, weigh up which course of action benefits you most.
6. Don’t be Afraid of Losing
“I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened,
the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people
who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.”
While Ali lost only 5 matches in his amazing career, everyone was
shocked that such a ‘winning machine’ could lose at all. It’s ironic
that Ali’s very last fight was a loss by unanimous decision.
In today’s success obsessed society, we’re programmed to be terrified
of losing. Losing is bad. Losing is to be avoided at all costs. Losing
is for losers!
Yet, in reality, you can’t ever know the full experience of winning if you’ve never lost.
Knockout point: See failure as the opportunity to identify areas where you can improve your skills and performance for the future.
7. Believe in Yourself First
“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”
Your own self belief is the key to successful life change,
achievement, contentment, and happiness. When you believe that something
is possible and within your power to get, you are much more likely to
put in the time and effort required to make it happen.
Knockout point:
Work on building your self belief by reflecting on your past successes
and achievements, however minor they might appear to others. What
strengths did you show that helped you do those great things? You did it
before, so you can certainly do it again.
8. You’re Free to be What You Want
“I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.”
The pressure to conform to other people’s standards is enormous.
Parents, friends, the media, and society all set goals for you, based on
what they want. Often they do this by ignoring your own needs, desires
and ambitions. But, regularly following someone else’s suggestions on
what to do with your life will leave you unfulfilled, as will trying to
fit in with their idea of who you should be.
Knockout point: Never let other people limit you. Your dreams belong to you and you alone.
9. The Power of Positive Affirmations
“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to
belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to
happen.”
Negative internal thoughts are the enemy of success. That nagging little
voice of self doubt
always appears when you’re on the verge of great things. Thankfully,
with practice, it’s possible to reprogram our mind and replace the
destructive messages with more positive ones.
Knockout point:
If you tell yourself that ‘you can’ enough times, one day you’ll start
to believe it. When that happens, there will be no stopping you!
Which of Muhammad Ali’s motivational quotes inspires you the most? How could you apply them to your own life today?