I’ve had reoccurring dreams for most of my life. Some since childhood while others seem to just happen randomly. A funny one that keeps happening these days is that I’m a UFC fighter! Now I’m a huge UFC fan but I am in no way any where near a UFC fighter. None the less in my dreams I’ve got UFC president Dana White either coming down and talking to me about my next fight or I’m getting into the cage; loosing the fight and then Dana White comes in to tell me I’m cut from the UFC.
This is one of those reoccurring dreams that always leaves a smile on my face whenever I wake up because it’s a surreal situation.
I thought it would make a good introduction to some words by Mike Tyson from the most recent episode of “The ultimate fighter” television program. George St-Pierre knew that Dana White was good friends with Mike Tyson and he asked if he would invite him to speak to his team. GSP (George St-Pierre) is one of the trainers on this season of the show.
For those of you not familiar with this show: At the beginning of the season MMA fighters enter a house and are assigned to two different teams with each of the coaches usually being an established UFC fighter. At the end of each episodes two MMA fighters do what they are there to do: they fight. The goal is to win a contract in the UFC and the only way to achieve it is to keep winning against your opponents.
After the previous episodes fight Mike is talking to team GSP in their locker room and I thought his words we’re not only motivational but showed that Mike Tyson has some wisdom to share:
“At this level of the game when you’re world champion and all that.. The only reason you’re winning is because you’re smarter. What my mentor always told me is it’s all about confidence you know it’s just um ..you start thinking better and you start feeling better about yourself. You have to think day by day in every way better better and better. Confidence breeds success, success breeds confidence. Confidence applied properly surpasses genius. There’s nothing like confidence, there’s just nothing like it. The whole name of the game is to never get discouraged. Definitely in the fight business it’s life because it’s constant you’re constantly have a fight there’s always another battle you know. When you’re fighting in the ring you always have to be about how you conduct yourself because perhaps you conduct your life like that.” – Mike Tyson
I’ve seen Mike Tyson’s documentary but I’m by no means a huge fan. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the words above show quite a bit of wisdom that applies to almost everything in life. Not just the fight life.
Some food for thought….
