Boxing legend Mike Tyson doesn’t mince words when it comes to the relationships in your life. In a recent interview, Tyson emphasized the importance of being ruthless in cutting out people who don’t serve a purpose or hold you back from achieving your goals.
“If these people don’t have a purpose in your life, then what the hell are they doing in your life?” Tyson stated bluntly in new interview. “If they don’t have a purpose, why are they in your life?”
Tyson equated hanging onto purposeless relationships to willingly carrying around fleas or allowing strays to stick around. He suggested some people subconsciously want to be weighed down or surrounded by negativity out of a “lack of self-love.”
The former heavyweight champion advocates for a harsh self-inventory of one’s relationships and connections. “You have to look at the other parts of life where we’re not that perfect and develop them to the same degree” as your professional pursuits, he advised.
Known for his intense drive and hunger in the ring, Tyson seems to apply that same singleminded mentality to life outside the ropes as well. “I’m sticking with the winners,” he stated flatly. “I don’t stick with the losers.”
While his advice may sound harsh, Tyson makes it clear that purposeless relationships and negative influences should be pruned away relentlessly in order to achieve one’s biggest dreams and goals in life. A ruthless self-examination of who truly matters and who is holding you back could be the tough medicine required to reach the next level of success.