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Lessons from Outlaw #3 - Resilience



It is not very often you get to spend time with someone whose life story stops you in your tracks.


We all think that we’ve been through big life events and that we’ve struggled to get to where we are now but having spent some time around Razor Ali I realised how easy I had it.


Razor made it from the streets of Tehran to the boxing rings of London and is seen as one of the rising stars in the British boxing world.


His story to where he is now is about one thing….RESILIENCE


His mindset is stronger than the rest, having survived a fatal car crash as a child, being kidnapped by his father, and being homeless in London, upon seeking asylum. He has experienced and grown up in environments forcing him to fight to survive.


Each one of these events would have stopped many people from trying and given people a reason to accept their dreams were just not meant to be.


But Razor knew in his heart he was destined for more and every ambitious step he has made was taken with the hope and trust that he can create the life he dreamed of.


Razor Ali - Episode Highlight - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P4w4TTuai5Q


Razor’s positive mindset, despite all he has been through, has inspired me to expect more from myself. If someone can go through what he has in his life then I can easily face my biggest challenges and fight my hardest to make my dreams a reality.


The Comfort Killer:


It's always been a fear of mine that because of my privilege, I won't have the drive to commit and make my dreams a reality. When you hear stories like Razor’s you realise how mentally strong people are and how driven people can be to force their dreams into becoming true.


Having grown up in complete comfort with a privileged education I’ve been surrounded by a lot of people who have had it easy in their lives. They’ve been supported and gifted opportunities by their parents, myself included, and therefore get comfortable expecting opportunities to arise and the inevitable progression to occur.


Unfortunately, this isn't the case and unless you look inward and observe your life from a third-person perspective it's very easy to coast until the momentum of your privilege runs out.


When you look at some of the most successful people, those who have made it right to the top of their fields, you can usually see some correlation between growing up in a tough environment or having to deal with a life-changing event and drive to prove themselves.


Football is the obvious example, many players come from troubled backgrounds or families living in the lower class of society. These environments help develop their drive to be the best. They work to either raise their families out of the struggle or just to prove their status as the best on the pitch.


Regardless, these individuals develop a mindset of not settling and it's not until they are the best that they stop to observe. They are relentless until the very end.


Following Intuition:


It’s estimated that 8% of people achieve their dreams/goals & 92% just give up or fail to do it. A concerning stat when it comes to being able to have the mindset and attitude to succeed.


The questions I have are about why people give up or fail. What mindset did they have at the time that convinced them that it wasn't possible?


The reason is that someone with a relentless mindset, who wasn't willing to settle, would find a way. They wouldn't accept no, they would accept halfway, and they would fight until they created or achieved the vision they had in their mind because they knew intuitively that it was possible.


“If You Can See It In Your Mind, You Can Hold It In Your Hand” - Bob Proctor


Razor Ali - Episode Highlight - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vH5EOl6vCZc


Following your intuition is an easy phrase to throw around because we live in a world where every day realities play a huge part in determining the risks we are willing to take.


However, if you can develop a mindset that enables you to keep your intuition guiding you forward, then there are ways of actually making moves which allow you to consider life’s requirements, whilst still progressing towards your dreams. It’s all down to your perspective.


Razor’s quote about ‘be who you want to be’ is so simple and yet so true. How many of us can look at ourselves and convincingly believe we are being who we want to be?


How many sacrifices have we made towards ourselves and our dreams just to fit into the reality around us?


Following intuition means not being influenced by the world around us and listening to that instinctive voice inside us that speaks regularly but is only heard when we choose to listen to it.


Following intuition could unlock a new chapter in your life towards a person of extreme resilience because nothing external will convince you otherwise that what you desire and what you dream can't happen.


Look at what happened to Razor. He had one dream to leave Iran and come to the UK. Once he was here his dream was to make it as a professional boxer and within five years has done it and gone nine fights undefeated.


Truth:


Having resilience is the ability to not give in when the going gets tough. It is reinforced through the truth of the story you tell yourself.


How truthful are you being to yourself? How many stories do you tell yourself to satisfy your desires, but in reality not change anything about you to help move you forward?


To be resilient you must be honest with yourself and recognise your strengths and weaknesses so that you can understand and fight for your dreams from a fully transparent foundation.


The story of Razor Ali is not yet over but one which at the young age of 25 has only just started. Each day he goes to training to fight for more because he is honest with himself. He recognises that without the hard graft, without the hours, without chasing the 1% he won't get to realise his dreams.





If there’s one thing I ask you to take from this piece is that life isn't a simple and easy fairytale (no shit Sherlock) and those who make it do so from a position of successive failures and endless moments of doubt.


Your perspective determines how you see the world you want to live in and the person you want to be. Recognise that the resilience you have in your mind will determine how far you go towards realising your dreams.


Listen to the full episode via the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZXDRJcq0Ik



I am Will Flindall, host of the Valley of Outlaws Podcast where I speak to those who have decided to take control of their life and follow a passion or instinct.


If you feel like you could be getting more from your life, then maybe one of the conversations I’ve had with the Outlaws might help you kickstart a change.


Peace x

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