This is a tribute to “The Greatest” boxer and inspiration of all time. He was once recorded as having an IQ of 78. His response was, “I said I was the prettiest, not the smartest.” His remarkable intelligence was immeasurable and stretched far beyond the realm of a simple IQ test. At 22 years old, he knew things that the brightest minds in the world did not know. He understood the power of thoughts and how to transform them into reality. He understood the law of attraction. He understood psychology. He understood that confidence could be developed and self-doubt could be crushed with the right mental attitude.

This man is Muhammad Ali. The man who said repeatedly, that he was “The Greatest” boxer of all time, long before he was. He then lived to prove it. His first real notable professional fight was against Sonny Liston. Sonny was known in the professional boxing world as an absolute brute. Nobody wanted to fight him. He was the Heavyweight champion of the world and played the part extremely well. His punches were devastating and he effortlessly knocked competitors out. In and out of the ring. He was intimidating, he was a thug and a repeated ex-convict and basically the meanest and toughest person you could imagine. Ali, who was known as Cashis Clay at the time, was relatively unknown. This didn’t stop Ali from running his mouth. He insistently told the world he was “The Greatest” boxer of all time. People laughed at him. People bet against him. People said he had absolutely no chance of beating Sonny Liston. People were vocal about their concern for Ali’s safety in this fight. People truly believed that Ali was going to be seriously injured fighting Sonny Liston. This did not slow Ali down. Every chance Ali had he was telling the world how badly he was going to beat Liston. He even showed up at Sonny Liston’s training facility just to tell him how badly he was going to beat him in a few short days. Ali’s pre-fight antics seemed absolutely ridiculous to most people. Sonny Liston was the Heavyweight Champion at the time. Sonny was the meanest man on planet earth. Nobody knew Ali. They found the whole thing funny, but deep down, I’m sure everyone had a little bit of doubt if Ali was as good as he said he was.

Simply put, Muhammad Ali is a genius. He was not being immature leading up to the fight, he was convincing himself of his own greatness. He was repeatedly utilizing affirmations to build his own confidence. To set his internal frequency to the necessary frequency for a championship belt. After the fight, he later was recorded saying, “I was indeed scared of Liston. I had to convince myself I was ‘The Greatest’ before I could convince the world.” By continuously repeating that he was “The Greatest”,  Liston started to question himself. While Liston started to wonder if this no-name kid might actually be “The Greatest” fighter in the world, Ali was actually starting to believe it. Ali realized the secret methods of some of the greatest and most inspirational people ever. Whatever you can convince your mind, you can accomplish. There are no limits to this phenomenon – as demonstrated by Muhammed. When you repeat affirmations, whether they are related to sports, business or relationships, you develop belief. Belief becomes reality. Belief gives you the confidence to pursue big dreams and overcome all obstacles. Everything, and everyone gets out of the way when you have complete and total confidence in yourself.

Sonny Liston later said the Muhammed Ali was “crazy” and he “didn’t want any part of him”. Ali had so much belief in himself that the toughest man in the world at the time started to doubt his own ability. All of Ali’s pre-fight antics led Sonny Liston to lose control in the fight. If you watch the fight, Sonny Liston comes at Ali with total rage. He is swinging at Ali relentlessly. Ali made Sonny unsure that he could fight his own fight. He is so enraged that he chases Ali around the ring. Ali just dodges punches and every time Sonny makes a mistake, he gets a shot on him. Ali won with a knockout in the 7^th round. He had told all of his critics that he would knock him out in the 7^th. Coincidence? Absolutely not. He believed it, Sonny believed it and the world got to see it manifested. Ali was the new champion of the world.

Less than a year later Sonny wanted a rematch and Ali knocked him out in the 1^st round. He was still the champ. He was the champ in his mind long before the world knew him as the champ. That’s what’s so amazing about him. We can all learn something from him. Never believe that you are mediocre. Never accept anything less than the best. If people call you “arrogant”, “cocky” or “overly confident”, who cares? You have to believe you are the greatest to become the greatest. Whether it’s becoming a bestselling author or the greatest baseball player in the world. People are intimidated by people that believe in themselves. They get out of the way. The doors open for you to fulfill your passion.

The most successful people are people who believe in themselves. They never doubt their abilities. They know they are the best. People try to discount it as arrogance or conceit, but it isn’t that at all. It is confidence. It is self-belief. Muhammad Ali said he was “The Greatest” before he was. It was an affirmation. A declaration. He never said he would become “The Greatest” – he said he was. He believed it in the present. The same goes for you. Do not tell anyone you WILL be the greatest at something, tell them that NOW, you ARE the greatest.

Matthew Harris