This blog post is taken from my book Golden Nuggets, and it’s a good reminder that our inner thoughts are quite often revealed by our words.
I read that Muhammad Ali was so positive in his approach that he’d even predict the round in which his opponent would fall.
This continued for many years, until he was scheduled to compete against Joe Frazier.
When sports writers asked Ali, “How do you feel about the upcoming match?”
He responded, “If Joe Frazier wins, a lot of people will be glad, but if I win, a lot of people will be sad.”
Muhammad Ali’s words revealed what was in his heart.
He said “If I win” instead of “When I win,” and this indicated that he had already lost the match in his mind.
(And yes, Joe Frazier did with the fight.)
Whenever you find yourself using the word “if,” when you should be using the word “when,” then stop and adjust your mindset, because your mindset has a major impact on how things turn out.
