6 Steps to Having Conor McGregor Confidence
An amateur boxer with a record of 0–0 in one corner with one of the greatest boxers of all time with a record of 49–0 in the other corner.
Certainly you know what I am referring to, the mega fight between Conor and Floyd this past year. But imagine if you had no clue this happened and you simply read the first sentence. You and everyone else would laugh. And many people did. But not Conor, he knew he was going to win. In fact he believed he would knock Floyd out within four rounds.
How does he consistently believe in himself so much?
Love him or hate him it is clear that his confidence in his craft, fighting, is Muhammad Ali like. He believes he is the greatest and is not afraid to exclaim it.
From being a fan and watching practically every interview of him on YouTube(they are truly fascinating) I decided to deconstruct how to have similar confidence as Conor in anything you do.
Here is what I concluded:
1. Work Hard
“There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented, I am obsessed.” — Conor McGregor
This is definitely the biggest one. To Conor fighting is not a profession or a means to an end, it is an obsession. He is constantly thinking about fighting.
“I don’t know about anything else and don’t care about anything else. Combat is my life. This is all that occupies my time.”- Conor McGregor
Conor is truly a student of the game. To him it is not fighting but the study of human movement.
With this attention to detail and this degree of obsession it is hard not to have confidence in ones craft. Conor knows he has put in the work and therefore he knows he is the best on the planet in what he does. Simple as that.
2. Externalize Your Ambitions
You have confidence in your work and a belief in your skillset, now how do you accomplish those ambitious goals?
You have to have the courage to externalize them.
Shortly after one of the most shocking defeats in UFC history in which Conor KO’ed a legend, Jose Aldo, in only 13 seconds he was reminded by a reporter of the words he spoke before the fight. Before the fight Conor word for word predicted how the fight would go. The fight went exactly as he said it would. When asked how he did that his response was.
“If you can see it here, and you have the courage enough to speak it, it will happen”- Conor on visualization
If you want to accomplish something, externalize it. This will make it real. This will boost your confidence as it will no longer be a thought in your head but a real physical idea put into the world.
Externalizing your ambitions is just one step closer to these ambitions coming true. With that your confidence will grow.
3. Keep a Close Support Group
Conor is extremely loyal to his country and those people that were with him since the beginning.
In an interview in 2014 Conor said “I don’t have that many friends. I have a close circle of people that I talk to. I can count on two hands the amount of people that have my phone number”.
These people in his life are crucial to his rise to success.
In fact without them Conor might not have even continued to pursue fighting. Before his entrance to the UFC there was a time in which Conor walked away from fighting and simply stopped showing up to the gym.
His mother was concerned and therefore called his coach, John Kavanagh, asking for him to get Conor back in the gym. Shortly after coming back to the gym Conor got his call for his UFC debut.
“If you say you are self made you are leaving someone out” -Conor Mcgregor
Having a close support group that genuinely cares about you and your well being is essential to having confidence in accomplishing your dreams.
Notice those people around you. Appreciate them. And never forget their importance when you finally realize your dreams.
4. Dress the Part
No matter what you want to succeed in looking and acting the role before you actually become the role can increase your self belief.
As the popular saying goes…
Fake it till you make it
Conor is well known for his luxurious fashion choices. Rocking Gucci Mink Coats, expensive watches, shades. Everywhere he goes he is dressing the part of a superstar.
Now I am not saying walk around with a Gucci Mink Coat and you will have more confidence. Maybe, but that is not the point. The point is you should have pride in how you look.
Not for others. Do not look good for others. Look good for yourself and your self belief and your confidence will rise.
Dress the part always.
5. Seek the Uncomfortable
“The more you seek the uncomfortable the more you will become comfortable.”- Conor McGregor
Conor has explained in multiple interviews that the reason he got into fighting was to learn how to defend himself. At first, while driving to the gym, he recalls getting butterflies in his stomach but eventually became used to these butterflies. Then the first time he sparred the butterflies came back and once again after awhile they subsided. The first time he competed, butterflies again, but eventually he became comfortable in that situation as well.
Conor realized early on that these butterflies were good. He knew that if he kept seeking this feeling that eventually he would become comfortable with the discomfort.
Naturally most people struggle to find comfort in the uncomfortable.
But if you can understand the importance of seeking this discomfort you will be able to push through it and reach a rarely obtained level of comfort.
This will increase your confidence in uncomfortable situations. No matter what is thrown at you, in your business, your profession, your journey, you will be able to find comfort.
6. Learn From the Failures
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”- Paulo Coehlo
Do not be afraid to fail. Embrace failure. Learn from it and move on.
Conor embraces this mindset. He is not a perfect fighter and has lost multiple times. But to him these are learning experiences and opportunities to grow.
“That’s what I plan to do. It wasn’t ideal, I got caught, it is what it is, I’ll face it, I’ll take it on the chin and I’ll carry on, I’ll learn from it. That’s it.”- Conor after his first loss in the UFC
If you are not afraid to fail you will not be afraid to take risks.
Go for it all and along the way you will certainly encounter defeats. Do not let this falter your confidence in achieving the end goal, but rather be a learning opportunity to catupult your growth even further.
Embrace defeat.
In Conclusion
We are not all going to be walking around with an entourage and expensive three piece suits exclaiming our greatness to the world. But we can all have confidence in what we do. I hope some of these steps will help you become more confident in whatever it is you wish to accomplish.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
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