Principles Over Feelings - Floyd Mayweather
Njabulo James Nkosi, PMP
IT/Digital Project Management Professional | Speaker | Author, "Inspired Success", "You Are A Business"| PMP| CSM(Agile)
Boxing is known as the sweet science. The aim of the sport is to hit and not get hit. Some of the iconic figures in history have been boxers. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Junior, and Tyson Fury are all iconic boxers. The big appeal of watching these fighters is to see how they would knock their opponents out. Mike Tyson, in his prime, was notorious for knocking out his opponents in less than a minute in the first round. You could go get yourself some popcorn, come back and the gith was already over with.
When I started becoming a fan of the sport in 2006 while playing Fight Night Round 3, I was only interested in watching fights where someone was knocked out. If a fight didn't end in a knockout, I would get upset because it was not fun to see someone hit the mat. This is why I was never a fan of this boxer who was known as the 'pretty boy' who then adopted the name 'Money Mayweather.' All his fights were excruciatingly boring for me because there were no knockouts. But I was an immature viewer of the sport and over time I started to understand what was going on with Mayweather's strategy.
“Hard work, dedication!”
In boxing, there is more than one way to win. You can win by knocking your opponent out. You can overwhelm your opponent until the referee stops the match (also known as a stoppage). You can also win by a unanimous or split decision (where you have more points than the opponent). In a 'decision' victory, the fight normally goes the distance, where the fight goes until the final round. You get the most points by hitting your opponent and not getting hit, this is why the sport is called the sweet science and it is something Mayweather mastered.
“To be the best you have to work overtime.”
Mayweather is known as the best pure boxer in history, with unmatched agility and impregnable defense. His work ethic was ferocious as he would sometimes have 12-hour long workout sessions and ruthlessly study his opponents. To the untrained eye, his fights are boring but to students of the game, he is a genius. When fighters went against Mayweather, he would frustrate his opponents because they could not hit him. When they got frustrated, they start losing their cool and make mistakes. When they make mistakes, Mayweather would then get his punches in, collect his points and then win the fight by split decision. He never became a knockout artist but rather focused on using discipline to win and he is undefeated at 50-0. How was he able to do this? By using principles over his feelings.
“Just live every day like it’s your last day and be the best person that you can be.”
A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. Principles are void of how a person feels at the time. Mayweather has a principle of hitting his opponents without getting hit and he is now undefeated and the first billionaire boxer in history. His opponents would get lost in their feelings of frustration and then lose.
“A true champion can adapt to anything.”
Principles are void of how you feel at the time. If you have a principle of being on time, then whether you feel like it or not, you will always be on time. If you have a principle of delivering more value, then whether you feel like it or not you will always deliver. A reason many are behind on their goals, and targets and are underachieving is that a decision to live by sound principles was not made.
“I’m a man of my word.”
When sports stars are sent off and are unruly, they are labeled as unprincipled. When major exchanges and financial houses are found out to be fraudsters and are bankrupted and jailed, they are labeled as unprincipled institutions. When an employee is let go because of malpractice and low performance, they are labeled as unprincipled. The converse is also true.
“Your body is your temple. You do your body good, your body will do you good.”
When an athlete is undefeated, they are known as principled. When an organization grows, thrives, and continues employing others even during a recession, they are known as principled. When an employee is promoted three times in one year and is elected to serve on company boards, they are known as principled. When you adopt sound principles that drive your personal philosophy, you will put yourself in an elite company in the long run.
“I am the best. There is nobody better than me.”
Here are some steps to consider when putting together principles to guide how you operate even when you don't feel like it.
“I push myself to the limit.”
Whether you like him or not, gel with his personality or not, or agree with his lifestyle or not - there is one thing that's undeniable when you study him -Mayweather is a man of strong principles when he is in the ring. Adopt strong principles, that are void of your emotional state, and you will put yourself in elite company.
“Ain’t no boundaries, ain’t no limits.”