From Living on Benefits to a $100 Million Fight: 4 Transferable Qualities You Can Learn From Conor McGregor

Heerbode Zahedi
Aug 26, 2017 · 5 min read

Individuals like Conor McGregor don’t often come around. He is the type of hero we see in the movies. You can’t help but wonder: How do you go from living on benefits to the cover of GQ? How do you go from being a nobody to making the Forbes top 100 highest paid athletes? How do you become a UFC champion in less than 2 years of making your debut?

You could say that he had a lot of luck, that the stars have aligned or that his arrogance somehow worked in his favour but you can’t deny that Conor McGregor falls into a category of greatness that few people will ever reach,

Don’t get me wrong though — This is NOT pro-Conor article, nor is it about fighting. But over the last couple of years, I’ve asked myself how has he done it? How has he achieved so much success where his colleagues haven’t? The UFC is not short of extremely talented fighters buy why does this one stand out?

After analysing him, I’ve found 4 characteristics that made him what he is today. Luckily, these are transferable and can be learned. So no matter what job you have, you can apply these to your craft.

Specialism

Bruce Lee said I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times

Although Conor is well skilled in all disciplines of Mixed Martial Arts (Boxing, Jujitsu, Wrestling…), he stands out with some of the best boxing in the sport, making him a very dangerous opponent. How does this relate to you?

Years ago a friend of mine started working as a real estate broker shortly after myself. He decided then and there that his entire focus would be on villas of a particular neighbourhood, whereas I had a hand in any type of property I could find. Months passed and my friend had become an expert in those particular villas. He knew everything about the competition, the location benefits, average house sizes and he became known as the go-to guy for villas. He is now running his own very successful real estate company. Meanwhile, I was growing much more slower and eventually decided to move on with my career.

By becoming a specialist, you are playing to your strengths and beating your competition. So find your niche within your industry and become that guru!

Obsession

As ”The Notorious” has said before, he does not see himself as a talented person but rather, a deeply obsessed one. This might be everyone’s least favourite part but in order to really stand out in your field, you need to create a gap between hard work and obsession. A lot of employees or entrepreneurs work hard, but have you seen one that’s truly obsessed? Have you met that person that is rarely out with colleagues because their entire focus is the upcoming deadline they have? These people fall into that category. You must be so obsessed with your craft that everything else in your life works its way around it. Conor was on benefits, because he spent too much time at the gym to have a job.

Obsession might be a hard pill to swallow for some because certain things like social life are so important. In that case you need to ask yourself how bad do I really want to stand out?. Be honest with yourself, make sure you know the difference between thinking you work hard and really working hard. The aim is to have ridiculous, sickening work ethic where you sleep later and wake up earlier, show up to the office first and leave last, go into extra detail for that next Instagram post!

Visualisation and Belief

While the confidence of the man is no secret, what’s more interesting is the vision he has, reaching back to very early in his career. While he was driving a car that needed a push start, he envisioned it to be a Bentley. Once you know what you want, visualise it and choose a route to get to that point, then you are unstoppable. This in combination with self-belief in your own ability will make sure obstacles turn into opportunities and that nothing can keep you from achieving your goal.

Conor’s goal was to fight in the UFC and become a champion. It was his entire focus so he predicted he would fight in the UFC in interviews very early. Telling the public your goal repeatedly makes you accountable for them and even more motivated to reach them. Watching his interviews shows a man with so much belief in himself that he can turn doubters into his biggest supporters.

So whatever you are passionate about in your life, whatever field you’re working in, there is absolutely not an inch of room for any doubt. Know what you want, choose how to get there then let that focus become your gravity. Friends, Family and Fun should revolve around your goal not the other way round.

Disruption

Now here’s the creme de la creme, the reason people not interested in the UFC are willing to pay $80 just to watch Conor fight on pay-per-view. There have been many great fighters before this man but yet financially he surpasses all of them — so what is his secret?

Conor McGregor is a self-marketing machine, He realised that fans are not just interested in action but also in drama and personality. So he crafted a persona that makes him the most attractive personality to watch. One that bares striking resemblance to that of Mohammed Ali. That wit, that flair, that charisma… It’s a persona born out of the inspiration from previous great athletes, movie villains, current pop culture and even fake wrestling (WWE). That walk of his, that Irish accent, the tattoos, the confidence, the flashy cars, the suits, the lifestyle… All of these elements are part of the brand that make viewers entertained. He has become a master at capturing attention and got fans out of people who didn’t care about the UFC.

He’s the new poster boy of the nouveau riche, the new rags-to-riches story and he is inspiring millions by each act, quote or Insta pic. He is doing whatever he can to get attention and keep the audience entertained and you must admit, he’s done a great job at that.

Understandably, this final point isn’t asking you to show up to work in a pink suit whilst you trash talk the whole office. Rather, it’s an invitation to question how you can change the game. What should others be doing that they aren’t? What’s something that can be done better? What is missing in your company/industry that perhaps you can bring to the table? Think about it long and hard, break the mould and reap the rewards.

Again I urge you to take from this article not a summary of how great Conor McGregor is, but the qualities and skills he has blended together to reach the level he’s currently at.

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