I had an unbelievable conversation with Mike Tyson on Wednesday night at Steiner Sports. It’s amazing to see the level of popularity this guy has maintained over the years, but even more surprising is all that we learned about life from the boxing icon. Iron Mike is one of the most polarizing figures in American pop culture ever. He has made a transition from being the bad boy of boxing and a heavyweight champion of the world to becoming this fun, welcoming figure starring in movies and his own Broadway Show.
Something I didn’t expect was Mike’s incredibly thoughtful insight on the ways you should approach your daily life and how to be a better person. Below are the top three things I learned.
-Brandon
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Have regrets so you have something to learn from.
“This world is just a school in itself,” Mike said. Everything you experience in life is an opportunity to learn and grow.
There are always going to be things in life that you may regret, but instead of looking at it from the perspective of, “I wish I didn’t do that,” look at it from the perspective that you can learn something from what you did. The world is a classroom and you can learn something from anyone.
Happiness is an instance in our life that happens on quite a few occasions.
In a world where the need for instant gratification plagues us, it’s important to get down to the reality of things. You are going to encounter points in your life where you may not consider yourself happy; you’re not at your peak.
But, that’s okay. Mike was quick to point out when I asked about his level of happiness that happiness is an instance in our life that happens on quite a few occasions. If there were no peaks and valleys with our emotions we wouldn’t be able to survive.
The lowest form of conversation is “was.”
Mike doesn’t go back in time. He’s always looking forward. He said that an old friend told him the lowest form of conversation is “was.” We have to live in the moment and be present. Too many times in our lives we’re worried about what has happened in the past. We would be a lot better off if we concentrate on the things we can control, which is the right now and tomorrow.
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