Empowered Mindset of Champions: Schwarzenegger and Ali

The difference between a winner and an 'also ran' isn't extra ordinary skills or talents. Let's face it, people who are at the top of their field excel at their game be it sports, business or personal achievement. In the sports world there are two champions, titans of athletes, who share one ...The difference between a winner and an 'also ran' isn't extra ordinary skills or talents. Let's face it, people who are at the top of their field excel at their game be it sports, business or personal achievement. In the sports world there are two champions, titans of athletes, who share one unprecedented skill, a titan mindset for excellence. I'm talking about Muhammad Ali and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger does not seem to be comparable to Muhammad Ali on the surface. But look closer. Both Ali and Schwarzenegger came from nowhere to win titles. Both men were great physical specimens, but later became known for their wit, humanity and crowd-pleasing nature...not merely for their brawn. And, of course, both men became known as two of the greatest icons of their time. They both had strong competition and were able to overcome stereotypes and false perceptions where others had failed. There was one simple explanation for their tremendous success in their sport and in life: it never occurred to them that they were not champions. They knew, at their deepest core, and at an early age that they were champions. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the world knew it too.

Ali and Schwarzenegger approached their life aspirations with focused determination and were always in complete alignment with that dream. Nothing would get in the way of becoming a world champion. With singular conscious intention matched with an internal confidence, awareness, and conviction they held the vibration of a champion from the moment the dream was birthed. They knew, with certainty, that they were already champions. This mindset carried them forward, delivered their inspiration, as they turned the dream into reality.

Why am I telling you this?

In a seemingly magical turn of events that brought us to this very day, the Universe conspired for me to tell you the story. To make a 30 year story short, my husband Al Satterwhite, just published a photographic book called "Titans". The photographs paired Ali and Schwarzenegger together as world champions who shared a singular mindset for greatness. Al first met Muhammad Ali in 1970 at the 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach when he was assigned by Time, and later Life, to photograph him preparing for his fight with Joe Frazier. Ali was young, brash, and eloquent. He came to know Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1976 when he spent time with him as he trained at Gold’s Gym, shooting trap and skeet up in the Santa Monica mountains, and just hanging out in Venice Beach. During this time, he came to understand what made them both champions. This book vividly demonstrates the qualities of these two men in a series of candid black and white photographs, accompanied by short essays written by well-known sports commentators and writers, Roy Firestone and Robert Baum.

Roy, who also wrote the Forward, is well-known sports broadcaster and entertainer. He has won seven Emmy® Awards and seven Cable ACE Awards, he has interviewed more than 5,000 people, including nearly every major sports figure. He knows what makes these athletes 'tick'. Roy is also a high-school pal of mine. I sat next to him in class for four years as he doodled sporting images all over is notebooks. We were also often paired together in high school plays and Roy is a talented entertainer to this day. He performs his multi-media review before audiences in Las Vegas, at major sporting events, meetings, formal events and conventions throughout the world.

So, when Al mentioned that he was looking for someone who knew Ali and Schwarzenegger to write the Forward to "Titans" I knew just who to call on! The book was published and I have the pleasure of sharing the story with you who are also on your way to turning your dreams into reality. These two titans are an inspiration to anyone who has a dream and intends to overcome whatever challenges present themselves along the way. They steadfastly kept their personal power in the intuitive and inspirational hands of their Inner Wizard and never let their Inner Critic, the voice of self-doubt and fear, influence the thoughts, choices and actions they took to become, and remain, world champions.