The Greatest Ever Ali Quote

and how it can build you a champion mindset

Read time: 4 minutes

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“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, it’s the pebble in your shoe.” - Muhammad Ali

The Deal That Got Away

Recently, I almost closed a sale I was sure was in the bag.

I knew that I could genuinely solve this guy's problem.

I gave it everything I had. 

And I could see it in his eyes. We were on the same page, this was happening…

Then, at the last moment, he pulled out.

In the past, this would have haunted me for weeks.

Replaying every conversation in my head, tearing apart every word I said, and analyzing every possible reason why he backed out.

But every minute spent obsessing over ‘the one that got away’ would’ve been another minute I wasn’t finding the next opportunity.

A mentee of mine faced his own demon. He was owed $10,000 from an old client who kept promising to pay, and then stalling, dodging, before flat-out ghosting him.

He was ready to go nuclear - by putting up a scathing post on social media and dragging that client’s name through the mud. 

And I get it. The anger made him want to fight back. We’ve all been there.

But I sat him down and said, “Don’t do it.”

Why?

I could see where his emotions were taking over.

I could see the pebble that had lodged itself in his shoe and how much it was weighing him down.

He was focused just on the $10,000, risking his reputation, his peace of mind, and the cost opportunity of building the kind of business where $10k would be a drop in the ocean.

Too often, we let our emotional responses take the wheel and they end up driving us right off a cliff.

When you’re an entrepreneur, that’s just part of the game.

When you get rid of those pebbles in your shoe, the things that drag you down, it’s amazing how fast you can build momentum. 

So let’s strip away the illusions, get real, and understand what’s truly holding you back.

The Feedback Loop of Success

“I could’ve made it, if only I hadn’t been dealt a bad hand at the start.”

“If only I hadn’t been misunderstood.”

“If only that one client hadn’t walked away.”

Words of poison. Words of the victim.

The lies we tell ourselves to justify why we haven’t made it, why we’re not where we want to be. 

They bring about 0 change.

Spoiler alert: It was never the hand you were dealt. It was never about being misunderstood. And it certainly is not about the one client that walked away. 

The truth is, you let yourself be beaten long before you ever got near the mountain.

The world doesn’t owe you an ideal start. No one is going to perfectly understand you all the time. Clients will walk away. Sh*t happens. 

What matters is how and when you react.

The time between how fast you can let go of setbacks and get back to working on your goals is one of the strongest determining factors to how successful you’ll be.

It requires a level of self-awareness, of emotional discipline, and of a certain kind of ruthless mindset that allows you to move forward despite the unwanted baggage.

Now, cast your mind back.

The Victim VS The Champion

Where you were a year ago today?

Do you remember every little setback that came your way?

No.

You remember the big moves, the moments that mattered.

The rest fade.

The truth about entrepreneurship is that it never stops.

The daily demands of building something great are relentless, and that’s what makes it both exhilarating and at the same time utterly exhausting.

However, parts of this journey will get incredibly personal. Not all setbacks are small. 

Some are massive and cut right into the fabric of your soul.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was let go of a betrayal.

It was from someone I trusted and cared about deeply.

I wanted to hold onto it, to dissect it, to understand why.

But as soon as I made the decision to let it go, I found strength in the ability to move on, to keep showing up for myself, for my work, for my future, for my people.

That’s what letting go really is. An act of choosing yourself over your pain.

These are the moments you become the character that can ascend to that next level.

And it’s the difference between the victim and the champion.

The victim gets stuck and holds onto every unfair moment.

Letting the pebbles accumulate and then using them as proof that the world is against them.

The champion is different.

The champion knows that setbacks build comebacks.

The champion doesn’t have time to be weighed down by the small stuff. They don’t dwell on it, they don’t let it consume them, and they certainly don’t let it define them.

They understand that setbacks, betrayal, failure, and disappointment are all part of the game.

I’ve seen it time and time again. The people who succeed in this game aren’t the ones who never fail.

They’re the ones who have the courage to let go, to keep moving even when it hurts.

The ones who choose the future over the past. 

And that’s what I want for you.

I want you to choose the champion.

Now, let me show you how.

Your Challenge

Look at your life.

Identify ONE pebble that is weighing you down. Start with the biggest.

Is it a deal that didn’t go the way you planned? A client who walked away? A mistake you made that keeps replaying in your mind, over and over again?

Maybe it’s something personal—an argument, a betrayal, or a grudge that you haven’t been able to release.

Whatever it is, it’s time to identify it.

Not tomorrow, not next week.

Today. Now.

Then make the decision to let it go. 

And feel the freedom that comes with it.

You’ll be able to finally spread your wings. 

That’s all. One action for now. 

But next week, repeat. 

By the time you’ve released a few pebbles from your shoe, you’ll notice that the only thing standing in your way of that mountaintop was your own illusion.

David, the mountains ahead are tough enough on their own.

Don’t let the pebbles be the reason you never get to see the view from the top.

Adopt the Champion mindset.

And keep climbing.

Yours truly,

-Nigel Thomas

P.S. If you’ve hit rock bottom let’s connect on LinkedIn here so I can follow your comeback!