From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Most people think, 'that's not me, I could never run a marathon!' That's precisely why you should do it – a marathon is a way of proving to yourself that you're better than you think- that you can go further- and endure more.
Working with the world's best athletes forced us to build the most accurate technology, and not to cut any accuracy or performance corners. Pro athletes helped to remove the stigma around health monitoring and make it something aspirational instead.
I approached fighting, and each contest, as an experiment. I would develop hypotheses on what strategies and techniques were winning, I would set-up experiments (or go into fights)- try them out- run tests- look at the results and try to be as unemotional as possible.
Anyone can have a good trainer; you can learn the moves and get fit. Any boxer or athlete can get super fit – the edge is mental ability – It's having the self-belief. If you're not right in the head? You'll never do it.
When you're training in the martial arts, you always want to be getting beaten in the practice room. That signifies you're fighting good people. When you're getting beaten, you're getting better, you're learning.
There have been times when I've been on the sidelines, dreading a gruelling running session, wondering why I'm doing this. But then I remember my teammates are all pushing through the same challenges. That collective effort helps me to buckle down and just get on with it.
In football, even though your revenue comes from a source that's linked to your core business, it's not your core business. The core business of any club is simple, to have success on the pitch.
I am not someone who puts a lot of pressure on myself. I love a challenge and live for the big stage of an Olympic Games or World Championships. Some people get nervous for the big events but I look forward to them.
If we want to build or maintain function, we need to apply a stimulus. And then, as much as we can, we need to provide the environment that allows us to best adapt to that stimulus.
The greatest performances arise from people who feel inspired. Athletes and leaders alike need to create lives that inspire them. We constantly strive to feel inspired and we feel the need to contribute fully.
The team was a meritocracy in which performance alone was rewarded. As I got better and my team started winning championships for my school, my status as freakishly tall black kid became a badge of accomplishment and inclusion.
27 years ago, when I started in UFC, I knew it was going to be one of the biggest things in sports- honestly. All the excitement we used to get from watching those movies we can now watch in reality. UFC really captures you… it captures hearts and minds.