Dear Destiny Friends,

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” (Muhammad Ali)

Everyone wants to be a champion, no doubt about that. Who doesn’t want to become a champion? Champions are always celebrated like celebrities; their fame and personality are always endearing. But who really is a champion? A true champion can be defined as someone who can transform their fear, stress, and daily challenges of business and life in order to keep things in perspective, and produce extraordinary results.

The first step to being a champion is to train your mind and body. This helps to build your self-confidence, self-esteem, and your thought process. Champions not only feel and see the big picture, they also imagine the hurdles, challenges and uncertainty they may arise in the process of actualizing their desires.

Before you can become a champion, you must have a purpose or be working on a purpose. That purpose might be an unpopular one. In working on a purpose, you must close your ears to the negative forces whispering doubts in your ear. You must arm yourself with your passion and positive mentality. This is because you cannot be a champion without knowing your passion. Once you know your passion, the onus is on you to develop it and always be positive towards the idea regardless of the adjustment you have to undergo in your journey.

In order to be a champion, you must have a strong personality, and be flexible. Even if you have experienced setbacks in your marriage, business, academic, or even professional life, you can still bounce back to the center stage and take the lead. As a matter of fact, it is the stories from your experiences that will make people believe you, and see if you learnt any lesson from the setback/challenges. Moral: Champions don’t emerge, they go through a process.

Some examples of the celebrated great men who became champions are: President Nelson Mandela of South Africa who fought against apartheid policy in South Africa. He was imprisoned for 27 years. He was later released, and contested to be South African President. He won. Abraham Lincoln failed several times in life, business, marriage and politics, but he never gave up. He later became the US President at age 51. Henry Ukazu, the founder and President of Global Empowerment and Mentoring Initiative was mocked, humiliated in a sarcastic manner by his supposed mentors due to his horrible writing skills, but today, he’s a prolific writer, public speaker and the author of a trailblazer book – Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success.

In order to be a champion, you must only aim high, you must have a deliberate and intentional plan because you can’t build something on nothing. You should have a clear plan on how to achieve your goal. What kind of skills and knowledge do you need? When and how do you want to acquire them?

Most people recognize a champion only when he steps up the podium, but they don’t realize he has become a champion before the announcement. In fact, he has become a champion years before that glorious moment. People don’t see the pains, mistakes, failures, sweats, sleepless nights and timeless investment in oneself and professional development. 

Champions develop themselves. They train themselves to produce the results they have. Champions have emerged from basketball, soccer, tennis, swimming, golf, track and field events, and others. We have seen champions like Lebron James, Mohammed Ali, Abedi Pele, Michel Jackson, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, Usain Bolt, Roger Federer amongst others.

In the journey towards becoming a champion, you must find something to inspire you. It could be poverty, a sarcastic name tag that was associated with you, or a desire to bring a change if you are tired of the status quo.

The ability to seek improvement is reserved for only the most elite performers. Most people are not born with that desire for self-improvement. It is either instilled through relationships or circumstances. It is imperatively important you proactively improve yourself.  Note that a Champion’s intent on self-improvement creates inner pressure to achieve the desired result.Question: Are you constantly investing in self-improvement? If yes, what books are you reading? Are you working with a coach, or attending seminars?

Champions don’t announce themselves, rather their works announce them. Champions celebrate every achievement, whether big or small. Therefore, take the time to celebrate your victories.

Champions practice alignment. They always want to align themselves with fellow champions. They don’t waste your time hanging out with people who aren’t willing to put in the effort and the investment into their own success.

The number one most effective tool that we have in our box to become a champion is to follow the path of personal growth within all of our lives. Within our health, we must become the strongest version of ourselves. Within our finances, we must become the strongest version of ourselves. Within our relationships, we must become the strongest version of ourselves. Within our work, we must become the strongest version of ourselves.

Champions focus on the process, they are always present on their project. They continuously practice their habits like a ritual. They endeavor to be consistent, they persist, and most importantly, they show up regardless of the storm.

In conclusion, a champion is not born, he or she is created and cultivated. It is simply a skill that anybody can develop if they really want to live life on another level. Today, I charge you to be a champion in any field you are passionate about.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com