I Am The Greatest

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” - Muhammad Ali

Positive self-talk is one of the most tried and tested sports psychology strategies.

There are three types of self-talk used when working with athletes.

First is task-relevant self-talk. As the name suggests, this involves a focus on the task at hand. A boxer might use the statement “guard up, chin down” to reinforce his posture.

The second type is mood-related self-talk, which should affect the way you feel.  Much like golf legend Tiger Woods shouting as he pumps the air after sinking an eagle putt.

The third type is positive self-affirmation. The most famous exponent is the great Muhammad Ali, who told himself “I am the greatest” so many times that even his opponents became convinced.

Ali’s belief in his abilities was experienced by multitudes by his expression of how great he is,

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”

He had an undying belief in not just his abilities but by his self-worth, he knew his self-worth was a mirror image of how successful he wanted to become. He pushed his beliefs of himself into his opponents. His belief manifested from his repetitions of what he used to say to himself every single day.

When you have self-belief in who you are and what you can give, then you can maximize your potential and become a very powerful individual.

“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” -Muhammad Ali

Begin your day calmly and with a clear focus on exactly what you have to do that day to achieve your lifetime goals and dreams.

Let’s learn from Ali and be the greatest version of ourselves we can be.