12/11/2023-On This Day: Muhammad Ali

According to U.S. Census data, there are 5.7 million sellers all trying to win. If it helps to prepare yourself each day mentally, strap on your Muhammad Ali and learn to fight.

On this day in 1981, American boxer Muhammad Ali fought his last professional bout, losing to Trevor Berbick in a decision.

Why is this important to you, a noble sales fighter yourself?

Ultimately, you and Ali are alike…you’re fighters.

You fight through customer walls (and internal walls too).

You fight through usernames and passwords.

You fight through big account challenges…and little irritations as well.

And…you fight to stay in the game.

Remember what "they" say…ya can’t win if you’re not in the game.

What are you fighting for?

To succeed in anything, you must know what you’re playing for. Why are you doing it? Why are you getting up every morning and climbing back inside the ring? If you don’t have a good answer, then you might wanna do something else.

Are you playing for your children’s education? For a second home at the lake where you spent your childhood? …to clear student loans?

Once your purpose is defined, the fight becomes easier.

Today, work on your why. Start a separate tab in your Wins Journal and write down your thoughts to see what they look like. Title your entry "Why I Fight."

Ali’s place in boxing history as one of the greatest fighters ever is secure. Others have matched his final record of 56 wins and five losses with 37 knockouts, but his opponents’ quality and domination during his prime placed him on a plateau with boxing’s immortals.

Cassius Clay, his birth name, was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin, who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over a thief’s having taken his bicycle. He told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. The officer told Clay he had better learn how to box first.

Throughout his career, Ali’s only goal was to be the best. He believed in it and professed it so strongly that everyone simply started to believe him, even before he became champion.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said to myself, ‘Don’t quit…suffer now and spend the rest of your life as a champion.’"

Selling is a lot like boxing…train hard and put in the work, and the results will come. Above everything else, create a belief system you can depend on: it’s one thing to say you want to be a champion, but it’s another to do the work every day that will make you a champion.

When asked about his training strategy and how it led to his success, Ali jokingly answers in this YT short, "…being in bed at 9pm each night."

But Ali’s not joking…he’s serious about what it means to be a champion. He knew his sacrifices and training were the keys to getting what he wanted, and he desperately wanted to be the Champ.

Whether you think boxing is barbaric or a real sport, Ali is known as "The Greatest." Interestingly, he gave himself that nickname but was willing to work to back it up.

Ali had his head whacked thousands of times, but it was always screwed on right about what it meant to be a winning fighter.