Everyone wouldn't just accept that I wanted to be a fighter - because I wasn't someone that they envisioned could or would be a fighter.
Laila AliThere's so many women that need to be inspired, encouraged to go after their dreams, their goals, their aspirations. Because we all have that champion within us. It really is about your mindset and having the tools that you need, surrounding yourself with the right people, people who have been able to achieve some of the things that you want to achieve.
Laila AliI'm inspired on a daily basis by my personal goals. I make it a habit to write down what it is that I want to accomplish. And I check that list. I keep myself accountable. My kids inspire me, of course. My ambition inspires me. I want to win at everything that I do in life. I understand that it takes hard work to reach my goals and I'm prepared to do it. My confidence comes from preparation. So I spend a lot of my time preparing.
Laila AliThinking about the women that you know: your friends, sisters, mothers, we know that we are kind of stereotyped. You like sports, you're a tomboy. There are all of these labels ,which is natural for us as a society to do, but it's just really about reminding women of the power that we have inside of us and that you can do anything you put your mind to. You don't want to get stuck. You don't want to get stuck in your own mind.
Laila AliIf you're having a bad day the main thing on the mental side is realizing that I'm having a bad day and thinking about why and then just kind of re-prioritizing and saying, "I'm going to let myself have this bad day, but tomorrow I'm going to get back on track." That's pretty much it. We all have them. You do have to let yourself have them and then go within and figure out why you're having it and prevent it from happening again.
Laila Ali