Believing in yourself is one of the major keys to success. It motivates you in a way nothing else can.  It gives you a sense of self-worth that can not be taken away. It banishes any feelings of inadequacy. Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxing legend of all time exemplified vividly what can be achieved through a firm belief in one’s self. This mindset of a firm, unshaken belief in his abilities and talents drove him to challenge great boxing legends of his time like Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and so many others. Of a record of 61 bouts, he won a total of 56 fights. He didn’t let anything or anyone stop him, even when it seemed he had met his match. He believed he was the greatest, he believed he was unstoppable.    Who would’ve thought that a stolen bike was the key to the beginning of the Muhammad Ali story? In 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Muhammad Ali’s bike was stolen while he and a friend were at the Columbia Auditorium. Young Ali, known then as Cassius Marcellus Clay, found a cop in a gym, Joe Martin, and boiling with youthful rage, told Martin he was going to “whup” whoever stole his bike. Martin admonished, “You better learn to box first.” Within weeks, 89-pound Cassius had his first bout—his first win. Imagine that! The greatest heavy weight boxing champ of the century started boxing because he wanted to teach a thief a lesson. He didn’t even stop to think if he could actually fight the thief. After all, the thief might have been twice his size. The obstacle was not his focus but his belief in his ability to ‘whup’ the thief.  What Ali believed, he spoke out. He never shut up. He became known as, “The Louisville Lip.” It was more than banter; it was a constant harangue. In a time when boxers never talked to the media—their managers always spoke for them— he did all his own talking. He even went so far as to predict the round. “To prove I’m great he (his opponent) will fall in eight!” Does this have anything to do with you? Yes it does. The key to achieve your goal is to believe in yourself. That takes you halfway to achieving your goal. Believing alone does not take us to our desired goals. We must learn to say out what we believe. When we say things enough, and truly believe it, our body obeys our confession.  Ali used this to win. He talked so much and kept on saying “I’m the greatest” until not only him, but his opponents believed he was the greatest. You alone hold the key to your success. Don’t let your circumstances control you. Rather, use your circumstances, be it good or bad, and re-engineer it to work for good in your life. You can create the atmosphere you wish to live in.
You can believe in yourself. You can tell yourself “I’m the greatest” and actually be the greatest. Success is out there waiting for you. You’ve just got to grab hold of it and believe.
 

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