I always see myself through my opponent. It's exactly like seeing yourself in a mirror. I'm facing a guy I share a lot in common with. We probably both had the same kind of life. Like me he made tremendous sacrifices just to get there. If I'm disrespectful to my opponent, how can I respect myself? —Georges St-Pierre

Don't be afraid to spend money to make money. That's one thing I've never been afraid of...to invest in myself. —Georges St-Pierre

Stand tall when you feel like shrinking with fear

 

When things are going perfect, confidence is easy. It's a natural byproduct of that success. But when you can generate a sense of confidence as things are going down the toilet, and you are not getting your way; doubt and fear and nerves are creeping into you mind and body; then that's a brilliant skill.

 

One way to do that, which Georges St-Pierre notes, is to act with confidence from by using your body. Pierre admits his fear and total panic before a fight, but as he walks to the cage he starts to walk like he's an unbeatable force and nothing will ever stop him. So by the time he reaches the UFC Octagon to compete, his body has convinced his mind that he is a fighter who is unbeatable.

 

We can take that same mentality in real life. We can sense fear and nerves and doubt creep into us, and at that point acknowledge it, but make a conscious effort to stand as tall as possible. Take some deep breaths and with every deep breath feel yourself being inflated further, getting taller, your chest puffing out with pride and extreme confidence. This is not an effort to deny your nerves, but it's something that breaks a pattern of going from fear to doubt to anger to hate to depression, or similar patterns which lead into a downward spiral. If you can break that chain and make a transition from feeling doubt, acknowledging that, and then segueing into a more empowering body posture, that's a very useful tool. Again, it's not a denial of your feelings, but almost a training for you to subconsciously pick yourself back up and not tumble all the way from the top of the mountain back to the base when things get rough. In the past, we have all unconsciously gone down that negative road, and it was just a result of practicing those behaviors and subconsciously always finding ourselves in the same pattern. If you can change that pattern you can change your subconscious actions, and you can change your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I’m always scared when I fight. But that fear is what keeps me more alert and more focused. It’s good to have fear." —Georges St-Pierre

"There's no honour fighting in the street, there is nothing to gain." —Georges St-Pierre

"The truth is that I didn't start as a winner. When I was a kid, I was just another reject. I started at the bottom. I think all winners do." —Georges St-Pierre

"There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist. A fighter is training for a purpose: He has a fight. I’m a martial artist. I don’t train for a fight. I train for myself. I’m training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.” —Georges St-Pierre

“It’s not the most powerful animal that survives. It’s the most efficient.” —Georges St-Pierre

 

"You can spend your life watching other people win or beat your name into history." —Georges St-Pierre

I have a friend who has a great idea about training. He says, "You don't get better on the days when you feel like going. You get better on the days when you don't want to go,but you go anyway." -Georges St-Pierre

"Power is different when you combined it with wisdom. Wisdom allows you to use less power to accomplish more tasks." -Georges St-Pierre

“A true master gives all his knowledge. But only when the student is ready.” -Georges St-Pierre

Once it becomes final and the fight is ended, I bow to my opponent in praise and thanks. After the fight is a time for humility, acceptance and analysis, no matter the result. -Georges St-Pierre

Using your imagination to create mental images stimulates your mind, helps organize your life and keeps your focus in a particular direction. It allows your unconscious mind to work toward the image you have created, the goal. It's about understand the life you want to live, and seeing it unfold before you. -Georges St-Pierre

More sayings from GSP here

Think about climbing a mountain. If you decide you're going up Everest, you don't start with a sprint. You'll never make it out of base camp if you do that. The secret is two fold: make sure your approach is consistent and steady so that you can maintain the progress you're making as your journey continues. -Georges St-Pierre

 

More sayings and quotations from GSP.

Innovation keeps me ahead of my competition. It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around. -GSP

Innovation is very important to me, especially professionally. The alternative, standing pat, leads to complacency, rigidity and eventually failure. -Georges St-Pierre

It's easy to talk, it's harder to fight. - Georges St-Pierre

 

Click for more GSP quotes.

“It all comes down to confidence: your body can do great things only if it believes it can accomplish them” -Georges St-Pierre (GSP)

Some people learn to lose. Others lose and learn. -Georges St-Pierre (GSP