How the champions think

I want to start the blog of the new year giving us some thoughts expressed by sports champions to bring out how to be successful it’s important to: have dreams, be tough, show a spirit of sacrifice, tolerate the physical and mental pain, have fun, to use humor and accept the mistakes.

“In my career I was wrong more than 9,000 shots. I lost about 300 matches. 26 times I thought of doing the shooting-match, and I was wrong. In my life I failed often and I continued to make mistakes. And that is why I succeed “(Michael Jordan, basketball).

“The champions are not made in gyms; are made from something they have deep inside, a desire, a dream, a vision “(Muhammad Ali, boxing).

“Since I am an eternal unsatisfied, I get my satisfaction from the success of my projects, often against the adversities, it is true. I often had to deal with them. When it happened, to me that I come from Guadeloupe, an island where everything is beautiful, to adapt myself to the red brick of INSEP, to change the coach and combat racism … I found myself small in something that was not done for me, but I am mangy and I climbed. In fact, all those who have tried to demotivating myself, because I was young or because I was black, on the contrary, I have reinforced my determination “(Laura Flessel, fencing).

“Another incident I recall with pleasure and which teaches that in life nothing is impossible regard the Tour of Italy in 1956. It was the last ride of mycareer and I fell down from Volterra and I broke an elbow bone. The next day I fell again on the fracture and I stopped the ambulance and they wanted to bring me to the hospital. I faced the ascent of Mount Bondone with the bone broken  and I closed the Giro in second place. One must always look ahead and never rest. I am now pointing to reach hundred years and it is not a joke “(Gianni Magni, cliclismo).

“Graziano is a good father and he was vital for my career. He was a very talented driver but unfortunately – injuries, falls and injuries – he did not win what he had to win. I arrived to finish the job he had started. Humanly e taught me that you have to make things fun, be serious, work, but at the same time without taking yourself  too seriously. I take his way of thinking for me. “(Valentino Rossi, moto).