Mike Tyson

Lewis: This is episode number 829 with Mike Tyson. Welcome to the school of greatness my name is Lewis Howes a former athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur and each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today, now let the class begin.

Muhammad Ali said “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world that they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not fact it is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration it’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” Again the great Muhammad Ali said that.

Today we’ve got a powerful episode with Mike Tyson. He is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world who won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. He holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years old.

He is also an actor, author and having appeared in multiple panels and as well written 2 books ‘undisputed truth’ and ‘iron ambition’. Mike also started the Mike Tyson cares foundation to give kids a working chance by working with innovative centers that provide for the comprehensive needs of kids from broken homes.

In this interview we talked about how he overcame his biggest internal struggles and he has many of them. The power of discipline and how to keep going even when you hate what you are doing. The truth about toxic masculinity. The best advice Mike got becoming a champion and when he has felt the most at peace in his life.

Now, I’ve been promoting this over the last week before the release of this episode and so many of you said that you were excited about this interview and a few people said they weren’t excited about it, because of his past. I can tell you this, we all have different things we’ve gone through that we’re not excited about, that we are not proud of and Mike talks about these things on this interview.

The thing I love about Mike is his ability to have humility and understand where he made mistakes in his life and tries to move forward and improve those mistakes by giving back. So, get ready and make sure to take notes. 

Before we dive in a big thank you to our sponsor today butcher box. Now, I am super pumped about this sponsor because it is something that I love to use myself. You get to choose from 4 curated boxes including a high quality grass fed beef, free range organic chicken and heritage bread pork all customize in a box exactly what you and your family love.

Each box comes with at least 9 to 11 pound of meat which is enough for 24 individual size meal. Meat is frozen at the peak of freshness in individual vacuum sealed packs and all meat is delivered right to your doorstep with free shipping. And what I love the most is butcher box is [?] which is source from heritage pigs and is uncured nitrate free and sugar free. It’s incredibly convenient and also no commitment so you can cancel anytime, it’s super affordable by taking out the middle man. Butcher box is able to buy meat at lower cost and pass those savings on to you.

The price is just $129 a month which works out to $6 a meal and shipping is free nationwide except for Alaska and Hawaii. It is special this month for our listeners. Right now butcher box is offering new members 2 pounds of ground beef and 2 packs bacon for free plus $20 off their first box go to butcherbox.com/greatness or enter the promo code ‘greatness’ at checkout.

A big thank you to our sponsor today zip recruiter. Now, finding a new job is a lot of work just like finding relationships. And what if you have you own personal recruiter to help you find a better job. Now, zip recruiter’s technology can do that for you, you just download the zip recruiter job search app and let it know what kind of job you are interested in and its technology starts doing the                                          work for you. 

The zip recruiter app finds jobs that you’ll like and puts profile in front of employers who maybe just looking for someone just like you. And if your employer likes your profile then zip recruiter lets you know. So, if you’re interested in a job you can apply for it. My listeners should download this free zip recruiter job search app today because it’s gonna let the power of the technology start working for you. Zip recruiter the smartest way to hire.

Again, a big thank you to our sponsors and let’s dive into this episode with the one and only Mike Tyson.

Lewis: Welcome everyone back to the school of greatness podcast we’ve got the legendary Mike Tyson in the house.

Mike: Thank you bro.

Lewis: Everywhere man.

Mike: I look here and here.

Lewis: I’m excited. I came into your show a little while back and excited for that to come out.

Mike: Thank you.

Lewis: You’ve got a great show.

Mike: You know what I think though? My method is really great that having fun.

Lewis: You’re doing good man. I am inspired by you Mike because you’ve gone through a lot of darkness. You’ve gone a lot of darkness in your past and we’ve talked about this in your show which is why I am so excited to have you here.

Mike: Right.

Lewis: You went to prison for a few years and a lot of things you said you weren’t proud of, but now you’ve gone through this spiritual journey that you are really looking to inspire as many people as you can and heal yourself and I think it is really cool what you’ve been able to do by overcoming all that. So, I just want to acknowledge you to start by everything.

Mike: Thank you.

Lewis: You were talking on the show that we did some of the lessons that you’ve learned from your past and I want to see where to start from that. What are some of the things you think are learned about who you were 20 years ago compared to who you are now? 

Mike: Sometimes I don’t know it’s hard to accept who you are, sometimes I see young kids out here they commit suicide and they don’t like who they are or they are in prison. And then it’s really difficult to accept who you are in this world because really we don’t know. In order to have friendship you have to be put in this particular kind of [?]. So, we don’t know who we are until we get to a certain degree of evolution.

Lewis: Right. Do you feel like you knew who you were at 20 or 25?

Mike: I had no idea.

Lewis: You were the world champion at 20.

Mike: I had no idea what that was all about.

Lewis: Did you feel like you were held accountable in dominating in the sport?

Mike: Yeah.

Lewis: When did you feel like you started realizing who you were?

Mike: When I got married for the third time, my wife we really had establish, we really made a [?] what we wanted to do we really had to establish some kind of foundation in our life. So, that’s really [?].

Lewis: How old were you then?

Mike: Probably 42. 

Lewis: During the marriage was it not working on some point where?

Mike: It was never working because marriage in itself is an interesting dynamic because it is nothing you can prepare for, it is something you grow into. So it didn’t work for a while and then we realize we didn’t kill each other, since we didn’t let’s see if we can make this work? Sometimes we get up I guess our buttons and push everything and reminiscence of the past.

Lewis: How do you learn to overcome the triggers today still from the triggers from your past? So it seemed like everything triggers you then right?

Mike: Everything changes from classes’ chance. I had everything I wanted but still I fighting the light. I couldn’t get anything done.

Lewis: You were winning everything and on top of the world but what was the biggest struggle internally for you during those highest moments?

Mike: That time I lost my mentor, everybody was dying because I met them when they were pretty old and I was very young.

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: They were dying and I didn’t understand that. 

Lewis: Right.

Mike: I can’t deal with that for a minute and then the [?] came in.

Lewis: What was your biggest fear in your early 20’s?

Mike: No one loving me, not being accepted being a nobody.

Lewis: Did you not feel anyone accepted you even thought you were the champ?

Mike: That was a funny dynamic in itself because I couldn’t cover eat dog world and stuff and I met somebody and he showed the basics of life.

Lewis: Yeah. It’s hard to be kind and at the same time trying to be the best too?

Mike: That’s the part of discipline it is separating us what you hate to do but absolutely love it. 

Lewis: What did you hate doing and practicing in your early 20’s or late teens?

Mike: I hate the whole aspect of the mentality and the duration of it. It takes tolls on people it’s just really [?], to be the best you have to become almost fanatical.

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: We’re like zombies.

Lewis: Like army. When do you feel the most love today?

Mike: When I am harassing my kids. Sometimes it might be [?] and sometimes they might grow up and live in this make believe world and I say “Listen, you can’t have a slumber party over here this is not the real world.”

Lewis: Right.

Mike: We need to be responsible and also be liable on whatever it is that we do we have to be accounted for.

Lewis: Yeah.

I want to take a moment from this Mike Tyson interview to thank our sponsor Quarts.

Now, quartz was founded in 2012 and its membership provides community for new generation of global business leaders. Their content is incredible and with the membership you get access to all of quartz award winning journalism. In depth field guides for the most disruptive forces in business, video tutorials on the essential skills of modern executives and other member exclusive journalism.

There’s thought provoking discussions with some of the most respected people in business. I want you to check this out I’ve been diving in deep on quartz for a while now and I really loved the complete the CBD boom. I’ve been fascinated by CBD and why people are getting into it and they break it all down there.

Also, there’s an extremely powerful video interview with Bill Gates on how he educated himself if he were 15 years old. And Quartz is offering my listeners a 25% off your first year to their exclusive membership. Just go to qz.com and enter my code ‘greatness’ at checkout for a 25% off your first year. Make sure to check them out.

Now, let’s get back to this interview with Mike Tyson.

Lewis: What do you think is the biggest regret you have?

Mike: Many regret what do I say many regrets. I wish I have spent more time with my kids in my youth.

Lewis: Spent more time with your kids?

Mike: Yeah. It doesn’t work.

Lewis: They are getting older now.

Mike: Relate to my past it just that you’re a fucking alien.

Lewis: What’s the message you would say to yourself now that you’ve gone through because you’ve gone through a lot of transformation and different experiences. If your 25 year old self was sitting right here what would you want to say to him?

Mike: You know he should prepare on what makes him happy in life, strive on developing that and cultivating that what makes you happy and never break that. That’s all of [?]. Everyone has different definition of happy.

Lewis: Right.

Mike: What makes necessary happy a good thing? 

Lewis: What makes you happy?

Mike: Simple stuff and I take it for granted sometimes like everyone else. Not worried about going to prison or paying your bills.

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: It’s being stable in my life.

Lewis: So you would tell him to start pursuing happiness more?

Mike: That’s the word I would use but that’s only gonna stimulate [?]. Why happiness? Because we listen to what responds to happiness what it looks like and we should always ascend to happiness.

Lewis: You’ve been on both sides of the spectrum, I would say that so many people might consider your behavior you know 20 years ago was very toxic. What would you say to the women listening who maybe want to support the men in their lives? What would you say to women on how best can they connect with men in their life who might be hurting them?

Mike: I can’t give women any perception of any aspect of a man because there’s so many men, I don’t know how men conducts themselves.

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: Or act on the pain or suffering. So my opinion on anything only be accustom to which is myself.

Lewis: What do you think women could have done to understand you better back in the day when you were going through challenges?

Mike: I don’t know I have no particular of how they envision me. I don’t know all the women in the world I don’t know their opinion about me.

Lewis: How do you think men should be raise in this time in the world right now? Because I think there’s a lot of conversation about toxic masculinity about how, you know what advice you would give to men who may be hurting or angry or living in a toxic way?

Mike: There’s truly nothing to say to anyone in a toxic, unless they come for help. 

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: Or some people love [?] this is their identity. 

Lewis: But it never makes you feel fulfilled deeply inside when you live that way right?

Mike: Nobody feels fulfilled. We are all fulfilled in different stages of our life. At 18 I am fulfilled at this particularly difficult fun fulfillment and at 28 I like this I don’t like that anymore. 

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: Very few of us are constant to continue to do and stay with it for a long period of time.

Lewis: What does it take to be a true champion? To be the best in the world at something? What is the mindset if someone wants to be the best at what they do?

Mike: It’s just dedicating your life and sacrificing your life to be in particular of where you want to be. Let’s say you want to be like Tony Robbins you get all the information you can about Tony Robbins and you conduct ‘this is how I want to live my life.’ This is like your manuscript.

Lewis: The blueprint yeah.

Mike: This is gonna be what I am going to do.

Lewis: So you got to breathe it and live it.

Mike: And you have to be that before you become the person. When the time comes you’re going to be ready and this is my life. 

Lewis: Before you became the champ the first time were you visualizing and imagining it?

Mike: When I was 14 this is the guy. You have to be the champ before you be the champ. You have to be him before you can be him. You have to be the champ before you can wear the belt.

Lewis: So you were saying ‘I’m going to be champ, you were living like the champ?’

Mike: All my life I was like that. I read books and watch fight.

Lewis: Watching the greats?

Mike: Yeah.

Lewis: What’s the best advice you got from a champion before you?

Mike: Most of them gave me advice about life. You can’t live your life like me, I can’t live my life like you. We are just different.

Lewis: Right.

Mike: Dignified most of them.

Lewis: What was the biggest weakness you had when you were the champ for so long?

Mike: I don’t know I think I wanted everything.

Lewis: You wanted the world?

Mike: Right now no. 

Lewis: Wow.

Mike: If I can’t get it right now I don’t want it no more. Anything that I couldn’t have I despise it and hate it. 

Lewis: What do you think that was if you couldn’t have it right now you didn’t like it anymore?

Mike: No distractions.

Lewis: So if you couldn’t get it right now it would make you feel less like immortal?

Mike: Yeah exactly. 

Lewis: What’s the greatest thing you wanted that you got right now that you were like demanding everything?

Mike: I didn’t thought of that.

Lewis: What do you think your greatest weakness this time in your life?

Mike: I don’t know my friends and family.

Lewis: It’s a weakness?

Mike: Yeah because people lose [?]. Dying and everybody is sad. Life is very interesting we got [?] all of the stuff. This is glorious for free.

Lewis: We didn’t pay anything to be here.

Mike: We can’t get mad it’s free.

Lewis: What do you think about death?

Mike: Death is beautiful. There wouldn’t be life if there wasn’t death.

Lewis: So death isn’t something you are afraid of?

Mike: At stage of my life. What happened to that time? My whole perspective of life is different, my whole perspective is what I need and what I wanted and it is all about what I needed. 

Lewis: What do you think is your biggest superpower right now?

Mike: I think it’s me and who I am, my essence and existence. When I am no longer here it doesn’t [?] I exist.

Lewis: How do you want to be remembered now?

Mike: Just remembered it doesn’t matter how. A couple of dozen years no one is going to remember.

Lewis: What is the biggest fear for you right now?

Mike: I wouldn’t want my kids to get sick, I wouldn’t want them to have the life I had and see the world like I seen, other than that I am prepared to meet God.

Lewis: What was the biggest mentor you had when you were in jail? Was there anyone in jail that thought you anything?

Mike: No. It was just radical in jail I need to run it all.

Lewis: You were like I want to run this whole place?

Mike: Yeah, it’s a mindset you get once you are put in that situation.

Lewis: What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself during that time?

Mike: Like I didn’t want to be there and afraid to have lost everything that I had at once. When I was in prison I still had money and no bankrupt or stuff.

Lewis: You were afraid you lose everything else? Like the titles?

Mike: No, just the things [?]. 

Lewis: What do you think you could have accomplish had you not gone to jail?

Mike: Really good stuff. I’ve accomplished it when I came out and I still wasn’t happy it was still all in my mind or things that I thought I could accomplish and only [?] hallucinating in my mind. I went to jail and still accomplished.

Lewis: Because you came out and still won the title and made a bunch of money.

Mike: It was an illusion but it was in my head. It’s my head that is fucked up.

Lewis: What happened to your life once you studied spirituality more?

Mike: I don’t know it’s pretty tricky. Imagine if it was like this then you I can make like this. 

Lewis: What did you used to believe that makes it a lie now?

Mike: [?]. That’s what I believe and everything that’s a paradigm shift. You live in a lie you know, you have to make your own lie and live in this lie.

Some people dedicated their life to find this lie and they found nothing. They have this big encyclopedia about wonderful things and history of the world and stuff but we don’t have the answer still.

Lewis: Just enjoy the ride and don’t try to figure everything out.

Mike: No way. We got to figure this out, that’s how we are.

Lewis: Do you think if you had more peace in your heart more love in your heart in your 20’s, do you think you would have enjoyed the ride more?

Mike: I didn’t know. All my life I [?] rather [?], I read about these guys. You know it depends on [?].

Lewis: Right.

Mike: Certain world and certain time they didn’t existed.

Lewis: When do you think the moment you started to feel more peace in your heart?

Mike: I don’t know I had the responsibility when I take care of my family.

Lewis: That’s when it shifted more?

Mike: Yeah. Dedicate my life and then eventually we have 10 years and it worked out. 

Lewis: Where do you think you’d be if you don’t have any kids right now?

Mike: I wouldn’t exist.

Lewis: Really?

Mike: No way.

Lewis: Where would you be?

Mike: Probably I’m dead or somewhere. 

Lewis: Really.

Mike: Yeah. They gave me kind of meaning.

Lewis: Wow. Do you wish you would have kids younger then?

Mike: I wouldn’t have accomplish me goals. [?]

Lewis: What do you think is the lesson you still want to learn for yourself? Like the challenge you want to overcome still to make you a better person?

Mike: I’ll never find that because that thing I want to realize is why me? Why is this happening?

Lewis: What’s the question you could’ve wish to have answered?

Mike: What is my purpose here? My purpose is to be the best person I can be before I die, that can be my purpose in my life to see how far we can go before we die.

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: I’m talking some glamorous shit and he was telling me [?].

Lewis: Enjoy the life.

Mike: Taking care of the kids and go on vacation. I come from a place if you are not something you are nothing. Isn’t that fucking shallow? Have no fucking concept of humanity.

Lewis: Yeah. How did you learn to finally start forgiving yourself?

Mike: [?] that happened yesterday or something, it doesn’t happen one night.

Lewis: Took a long time to forgive yourself?

Mike: Yeah, because I know my [?] and realize my life is [?].

Lewis: Right. So you just started to forgive yourself on things?

Mike: Pretty much.

Lewis: Happening every day?

Mike: [?]. 

Lewis: Wow.

Mike: I don’t think like [?] myself. If it’s cool it’s cool if it is not then it is not.

Lewis: What are you most proud of in your life that you’ve done?

Mike: I’m proud of existing, I love to be alive.

Lewis: Do you feel like you should’ve been dead many times?

Mike: That could have happen yeah. I’m proud of my children and stuff but they have their own life to live. It’s just that my kids are my kids and that is my personal life. I don’t know it is just [?]. I’m doing some things that I am proud of, I am building a company and keep awareness of health in Canada, so I am really proud of my company.

Lewis: What are you most grateful for about your wife?

Mike: I guess we have fought a long fight together.

Lewis: How many years has this been now?

Mike: 10 years. It was great really growing with that, this is my 3rd marriage. 

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: So when we had our kid we just dedicate our life to make sure our kid wouldn’t have the life that we had. A really kind and pleasant life.

Lewis: What do you love about her the most?

Mike: She’s an awesome kid and very competitive in life my daughter. 

Lewis: She’s the adult in the family.

Mike: Yeah, she’s only 10 years old.

Lewis: What do you admire and love about your wife the most?

Mike: That she kept our family together and [?] and being one. She didn’t give up at all.

Lewis: Lots of option.

Mike: So [?] this is what people do.

Lewis: You did that in your previous marriages.

Mike: Money [?].

Lewis: Right. I got a couple of final questions for you this one is called the 3 truths. I want you to imagine that it is your last day as many years away. It’s the last day and you got to turn the lights off and your family is there and you have accomplished all you want. You have a moment where you get to share the final 3 truths with the world.

Mike: Yeah.

Lewis: You get to announce it in your podcast and these will be 3 lessons the only things people would be able to remember you by are these 3 final lessons you would share with the world. What would you say are your 3 truths?

Mike: If I had more time I can even be better than what I am. If I have more time I can probably right all the wrongs that I did.

Lewis: Right.

Mike: If I had more time I would love to spend more time with my kids and grandkids.

Lewis: Those are great. What lessons would you share with the world that you would want them to have for their lesson from you?

Mike: Live life to the fullest and fulfill our life. Our life fulfilment whatever your life is, this is what most people problems on they haven’t fulfilled their life fulfilment.

Lewis: Who they are supposed to be?

Mike: Yeah who they want to be.

Lewis: What would they focus on?

Mike: It’s just never happen. I don’t man. [?].

Lewis: Yeah.

Mike: How do people look at that in life? How does somebody think outside the box?

Lewis: Sure.

Mike: People try and fail and say that this is the way.

Lewis: How can we support you?

Mike: Listen hotbox my podcast you guys can check it and subscribe and just hang out with us.

Lewis: Incredible it’s on YouTube.

Mike: All over the world. 

Lewis: You’ve had some incredible people over there.

Mike: Really interesting story.

Lewis: You share some crazy stuff it’s amazing. Mike Tyson everywhere. I got one final question for you Mike but before I do I want to acknowledge you one more time for all the growth.

Mike: All right.

Lewis: You could’ve easily tap out and gone back to jail.

Mike: I’m not gonna tap out I am always gonna try hard and see what happens. I’ve been in a worst situation that I ever been and I didn’t give up then, why would I give up now? I’m in the height of my life now why would I give up? This is a dream right now.

Lewis: A dream. Final question is what’s your definition of greatness?

Mike: My definition of greatness someone or something that could do the most difficult thing in the world and the most simple is greatness.

Lewis: Thanks man.

Mike: Thank you.

Lewis: There you have it my friends I hope you enjoyed this interview with the one and only Mike Tyson. Share this with your friends’ lewishowes.com/829.

Every time you have an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest fighter in the world, someone who has been on the top it’s important to learn from the lessons.

A big thank you to our sponsor today butcher box. Now, I am super pumped about this sponsor because it is something that I love to use myself. You get to choose from 4 curated boxes including a high quality grass fed beef, free range organic chicken and heritage bread pork all customize in a box exactly what you and your family love.

Each box comes with at least 9 to 11 pound of meat which is enough for 24 individual size meal. Meat is frozen at the peak of freshness in individual vacuum sealed packs and all meat is delivered right to your doorstep with free shipping. And what I love the most is butcher box is [?] which is source from heritage pigs and is uncured nitrate free and sugar free. It’s incredibly convenient and also no commitment so you can cancel anytime, it’s super affordable by taking out the middle man. Butcher box is able to buy meat at lower cost and pass those savings on to you.

The price is just $129 a month which works out to $6 a meal and shipping is free nationwide except for Alaska and Hawaii. It is special this month for our listeners. Right now butcher box is offering new members 2 pounds of ground beef and 2 packs bacon for free plus $20 off their first box go to butcherbox.com/greatness or enter the promo code ‘greatness’ at checkout.

A big thank you to our sponsor today zip recruiter. Now, finding a new job is a lot of work just like finding relationships. And what if you have you own personal recruiter to help you find a better job. Now, zip recruiter’s technology can do that for you, you just download the zip recruiter job search app and let it know what kind of job you are interested in and its technology starts doing the                                          work for you.

The zip recruiter app finds jobs that you’ll like and puts profile in front of employers who maybe just looking for someone just like you. And if your employer likes your profile then zip recruiter lets you know. So, if you’re interested in a job you can apply for it. My listeners should download this free zip recruiter job search app today because it’s gonna let the power of the technology start working for you. Zip recruiter the smartest way to hire.

A big thank you to quartz. Now, quartz was founded in 2012 and its membership provides community for new generation of global business leaders. They offer 25% off new membership. Their content is incredible and with the membership you get access to all of quartz award winning journalism. In depth field guides for the most disruptive forces in business, video tutorials on the essential skills of modern executives and other member exclusive journalism.

There’s thought provoking discussions with some of the most respected people in business. I want you to check this out I’ve been diving in deep on quartz for a while now and I really loved the complete the CBD boom. I’ve been fascinated by CBD and why people are getting into it and they break it all down there.

Also, there’s an extremely powerful video interview with Bill Gates on how he educated himself if he were 15 years old. And Quartz is offering my listeners a 25% off your first year to their exclusive membership. Just go to qz.com and enter my code ‘greatness’ at checkout for a 25% off your first year. Make sure to check them out.

And Muhammad Ali said “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world that they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not fact it is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration it’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

No matter what you’ve been through in your past, no matter how dark or scary it maybe or no matter how dark and scary your future dreams might be impossible is nothing. It’s not impossible to overcome challenges of your past or the judgment of your past or the pain, you can always create a new future right now. And your future dreams and goals as big and scary and impossible they may seem you begin to focus one day at a time on how can you improve and appreciate the journey every single moment, because this life is not guaranteed for another hour, day or year. What’s guaranteed is right now until it is not anymore.

I love you so very much and you know what time it is, it’s time to go out there and do something great.