We have studied the lives of the 5 greatest athletes of all time, inside and outside of their sports. We have seen the life of: Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods.
A-The common denominator: So what was common between these champions? What is one factor that everyone shared, and can we say that this factor is your weapon? It’s yours… power of the mind.
First of all, they had a real passion for their sport. They aimed to be the best, and they wrote that goal. And they were focused and determined to achieve their goals. Second, they believed in their ability. They believed that they could be the best at anything. And they never had any doubts. They had confidence and confidence in themselves more than anything in the world. Third, they welcomed the challenges. They never used excuses for their failures. They always had the will to improve. And they were competitive. They always wanted to win and hated to lose. Lastly, they never gave up. They had the willpower to keep going. They refused to give up. They had the strength to survive and recover in the midst of all adversity.
Today, more and more people are focusing on the psychological aspects of training in competitive sports. They are emphasizing mental conditioning in every competition. Research shows that high-level sports performance is directly related to the balance between mental toughness and intensive training. One of these factors alone may not be enough to achieve long-term sporting success. Natural talent and training are no longer guaranteed to win championships. Mental preparation is now perceived as important as physical training. Emotional attitudes are equally important, especially motivation, self-confidence and deep interest in the game. An athlete may have all the talent and physical ability, but if he underestimates himself, he may end up losing the game.
B- The Champions: Why are champions mentally strong? What are the things that made them different from others?
1-They are competitive: Competitive people love challenges. For example, when Michael Jordan was young, he was always beaten at the horse game. He didn’t like that, so he kept challenging them until he won. Muhammad Ali, used to say this quote “I never thought of losing…”. Roger Federer loved competition as he once said: “I like to play against guys who have beaten me, especially early in my career, try to win them back.” Tiger Woods, he always wanted to be the best.
2-They are focused and determined: Focused and determined people set their own goals and work hard to achieve them. They don’t give up. They believe in the saying, “try and try until you make it”. For example, when Michael Phelps was young, he had ADHD or attention disorder/hyperactivity disorder. His teacher complained that he couldn’t keep quiet, wouldn’t sit down, and kept doing things to get attention. One teacher even said that he could never concentrate on anything, but this teacher was wrong. Muhammad Ali was also very determined. Tiger Woods loved big tournaments. Michael Jordan had no problem with determination.
3-They have confidence: Self-confident people believed in themselves and looked at success more than failure. They believe in their ability to succeed. And they don’t let themselves be shaken by pressure.
4-They are optimistic: Optimistic people always look for the positive side of life. They focus on the good things. They are not bothered by stress, anxiety, or even their past failures. For example, when Rodger Federer was fighting to regain his place as number 1, people anticipated his fate. They said it was over. But Roger stayed positive. He didn’t let these negative comments get to him. Tiger was always optimistic. He said this “One of the things my parents have taught me is to never listen to other people’s expectations.”
5-They anticipated their success: There is a proverb that says: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” It means that people become what they think. If you believe that you will be successful, then you will be successful. Champions visualize their success. They hope to claim their victory. These champions have this strong mindset because they visualize their success, are free from negative thoughts, believe in themselves, and constantly strive to be the best.
C-Useful ways to strengthen your mindset: Having a strong mindset is necessary to achieve optimal performance in every competition. Here are some suggestions to strengthen your mindset.
1-Be truly passionate about what you are doing: You must enjoy what you are doing. Be enthusiastic each day to push yourself to master and hone your skills. You must have the inner drive to be the best!
2-Set a goal: Having a goal will help you focus. Write your goals down on paper or use worksheets with due dates. Create a plan to reach your goals. Remind yourself of your goals. Remember that goals without a deadline or plan are just dreams. Make your goals like SMART.
3-Be optimistic: First, you need to focus on the good things that are happening to you. Focus your thoughts on your progress each day. Think about the things you did well. You may experience mistakes, setbacks, and unexpected events, and thinking positively will help you deal with them. Second, do positive affirmations every day. Always have positive things to talk about with yourself. Tell yourself how good you are and do it with conviction. This will greatly increase your self-confidence. And lastly, have your own positive expectation. Hope to succeed. Visualize yourself as the winner. Never doubt yourself!
4-Have confidence: Always believe in yourself. Look forward to your success. visualize it. Always trust yourself no matter what.
D-Conclusion: Champions are made, not born. None of the top five athletes we talk about in this article were born winners. Everyone faced failure at one point. All of them were defeated in at least one championship or tournament. Some of them were even discarded by people, and they were thought to be finished, and their careers came to an end. But time and time again, these champions overcome all challenges and against all odds to win, redeem themselves, and finally earn their deserved recognition. We’ve seen it with Muhammad Ali, when he defeated George Forman. We have witnessed it with Michael Jordan, after his return from his retirement. Roger Federer did it after almost everyone said that he was finished. These champions are human like us, but they are different in their inner thinking, in their motivation, in their strong determination to overcome all obstacles. They achieved achievements beyond our imagination. Imagine a man who can rack up 18 gold medals in just 3 Olympic games and an unprecedented 22 medals total. This legend did this while he believed that nothing is impossible. We can think of them as supermen, but we saw them cry and laugh, like any human being, like any of us. What sets them apart from us is not their born body, but how they used their brain and emotions differently from us.
A champion is a model. You can repeat the model if you do what the model did. We can replicate champions. Records can be broken. Gold medals can be accumulated. Championships can be won, but only if we follow the pattern of champions. We all have unimaginable potential, but we tend to use only a very small fraction of it. We all have the ability to be champions, but once we hit a setback or roadblock, we start to focus on the downside of the road. Some people are able to dream big, are able to believe in the possible, and ignore inferior ideas, thus defeating others and becoming what we call… champions.