Life lessons from Muhammad Ali

One of Ali’s most iconic bouts was his eighth-round knockout of heavyweight rival George Foreman in 1974. FILE Photo

Muhammad Ali passed on but left with us lessons.
Anger into power
At the age of 12, he was found seething with anger and vowing to “whup” the person who had stolen his bicycle. Joe Martin a police officer and boxing coach advised him to take up boxing before making such a move for self defence. The rest is history. What makes you Angry? You could turn that into power.

Focus
Even when there were girls swarming him near the gym, he focused on training. Focus on what matters. In High School he graduated 376th out of a class of 391. He focused on his strength. The boxing ring and not the classroom.

Self-belief
Even when the media didn’t believe he would beat George Foreman in the famous Rumble in the jungle fight, he still believed that he was the greatest. Believe regardless of naysayers.

Be you
“I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be me.” He was his own man. Do you know who you are? Are you willing to stand up for exactly that?

Positive prophecy
He used to make predictions as to which round he would knock out his opponents. That often came true. What are you prophesying?
Plan for a life time
At the age of 35, he was asked what he would do after boxing and he talked about helping people and making a difference in the world. He did until he could not move anymore.

Hard work and dedication
Angelo Dundee his trainer said he was always first in the gym and last to leave. “He’d even come to train when he wasn’t fighting…He was like a student of boxing. He’d find out how champs trained, how much they ran, how they ate before and stuff like that.”

“His roadwork was twice as much as what he needed, his sparring twice as much as he needed. If he was gonna fight 15 rounds, he’d spar for 30,” Justin Fortune, a boxing trainer, conditioning coach said.
The fallen champion also once said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

When asked how many sit-ups he did, he responded, “I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting, because then it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion.”

Her daughter Laila Ali reflecting on what she learned from her father “I learned that in order to be the best, you have to work harder than the rest”.

Impossible is nothing
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world
they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact.

It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” Muhammad Ali. What a legend. R.I.P

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Ethan is the CEO of Success Africa, a motivational speaker, author and HR consultant.