Tomorrow is the big "money fight" between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Now I don’t want to go into detail about the background of the fight, nor what might happen. When I found out about it and heard Conor speak about it in an interview, I was fascinated by the confidence he had and strong belief that he would beat the undefeated, retired boxing world champion. This is the first time a professional MMA fighter is attempting to win take over the boxing crown with just one match. It takes a lot of true confidence to do what Conor is doing and because I’m very interested in human psychology I thought to analyze his not so ordinary behavior and apply it to life in general.
Conor is known for talking a lot, predicting his actions and praising himself as "untouchable". He is 100% confident that he will win on Saturday: "it will be a quarter of a fight". Today I want to take a look at the origin of confidence, using Conor McGregor as an example.
In order to become truly confident one must have a combination of:
1. Passion / Desire
2. Imagination / Vision
3. Dedication / Resilience
“When you’re in the struggle it is harder to visualise. When you can do that, that really makes that law of attraction work.”
He uses the power of imagination for him instead of against him and thus manages to create a vision so clear that it triggers real emotions and forms a new belief system.
To sum it up, Conor utilizes the different techniques I describe in my blog series „Psycho-Cybernetics“.
If he would only use positive manipulation on himself to feel confidence, he would end up being delusional. There is a line between confidence and delusion. This line is also known as „execution“. The first part of confidence is a combination of desire and passion, two things that are purely based on mindset. The second part is just as, if not the most important part in order to achieve confidence, however the second part can only happen after one has successfully gone through the first part.
However the main part comes after the vision..true dedication aka. showing up and putting in the work every day no matter what, because what gives confidence is knowing.
It is not a secret that progress is achieved through repetition and the only way to stay consist at something is through a strong desire and the ability of visualizing which comes with a strong belief in yourself. You need a reason, the motivation behind what you want to achieve, groundwork and the engine of it all. Only with that comes the amount of effort put in on a consistent basis, which is the path to achievement. But of course dedication means more than just being willing to put in the effort.
True dedication to a goal means never giving up, dealing with failure and coming back even stronger. I’ve mentioned this before, but will say it again, if you stay flexible on the approach and stubborn on the goal, that’s how you win. Most people look at the schedule they have and try to fit in „working on their goal“ and complain about not having enough time. For people like Conor those kind of excuses don’t exist, because they have dedicated their life to one dream, until that dream is achieved and the next goal is set. It’s what Conor lives by, every second of his day is structured around his one priority, fighting.
“It takes over your mind. I don’t sleep. I train all day and when I get home I often shadow box in my room.”
And that is the second part, the final secret to Conor’s confidence as well as his accurate predictions. True dedication.
"I said it and it did it. I do talk but I do a whole lot more work"
Conor, like many great athletes is a living example of "hard work pays off".
He is confident, not because of his desire and vision alone, but his dedication. He knows that he spends more hours in the gym, works harder, won’t quit and doesn’t stop. Those are controllable variables and when you know you've done the most, that gives you confidence. Just like when you are having an argument with someone or somebody asks you a question. If you know the answer, because you've done the most research on that topic, you are confident in your answer.
"Doubt is only removed by action. If you're not working, then that's where doubt comes in"
Even though Conor is talented and talent in my opinion does play a minor role, but more importantly he is obsessed with his vision, gives his all in the variables he can control (such as effort, speed and consistency), prepares to the highest level possible and right before a fight in the octagon, or ring tomorrow, knowing that he has done everything possible in his power to win the fight, which gives him a huge advantage and confidence while fighting and leaves no room for fear or doubt.
"It's a beautiful feeling when preparation meets opportunity. Nothing is impossible, you can achieve anything“
Dealing with a loss, especially if you’ve given your all during preparation is tough, but necessary. It’s the biggest test, the true colors of a person always show during their weakest moments. How Conor responded to his loss shows the kind of person he is…
… and justifies his confidence, that some would misinterpret as „cockiness“.
Whether you like him or not, whether you think he will beat Floyd or you think he is crazy and will be put in place,
his mentality is inspiring and deserves to be respected if not admired:
"You win or you learn“
Question OTD: Who do you think is going to win: Mayweather or McGregor?
Much love,
Mrs.Steemit