Today is ‘The Greatest’s 70th birthday! Yes, it’s ‘Happy Birthday to Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer ever. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he is one of the most ‘remarkable’ men ever! Muhammad Ali broke down racial barriers and was an inspiration to millions of people worldwide with his athleticism, spirituality and his passion!
I remember staying up late into the night as a young lad to watch his fights, I remember seeing him on Sports Personality Of the Year and on Parkinson, and anything else I was allowed to stay up and watch! He was ‘Dramatically Different’ and ‘Demonstrated’ that in everything he did. In fact, he was probably the first example of ‘3D’ Thinking I ever came across (without even knowing it!)
He certainly demonstrates all 7 of the charactersitics of ‘Dramatic and Demonstrable Difference’!
“I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want“
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was”
“It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manila.”
#4. Dialogue, Not Diatribes! – Well, he did talk a lot, but it was always worth listening to!
“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest”
#5. UBER Culture!– He stuck to his core values, helped shape and transform the way America did things with his commitment to civil rights, and acted as a role model, consistently in the face of adversity.
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong”
#6. KeeP In control! – He set his targets and they drove him – Heavyweight Champion Of The World THREE TIMES (and he picked which round he was going to win in!)
“I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round”
#7 Keep Working ‘ON’! – His innovative approach transformed boxing, entertainment and the world – he never stopped working ‘On’ it, and continues to do so.
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights”
So, Happy Birthday to a ‘Remarkable’ man – you’ve certainly made a ‘Dramatic and Demonstrable Difference to my world and to ‘the’ world as a whole!
