The Plumber Who Made $1 Billion

Conor McGregor is a professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship Featherweight and Lightweight Champion, becoming the first UFC fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously. His self-reported net worth is almost $1 billion.

Lesson 1: Do What Feels Like Play to You, Work to Others, and Makes Money

• “I don't work. I love what I do and it's become a career for me."
• "You should follow your passion."

Lesson 2: Be Inspired By Success

• There are 2 kinds of people: those who are envious of successful people and those who are inspired by successful people. People who are envious will always be losers. People who are inspired will eventually become successful.

Lesson 3: People Will Doubt You

• "I've been listening to them laugh my whole career. I said I would win a UFC world title and they laughed. Then I won the UFC world title. I said I wanted to win a second world title and there was more laughter. The sound of laughter and the sound of doubt motivates me." 
• Conor McGregor's parents didn't want him to become a professional fighter. They questioned if fighters could make good money in the UFC. Conor once got in an argument with his dad and told him that he was going to become a millionaire from fighting in the UFC (which was very uncommon, UFC fighters didn't make much). He got a job as a plumber to appease his parents but kept training MMA. Eventually, he became a UFC double champ and he claims his net worth is close to $1 billion.

Lesson 4: Be Extremely Self-Confident (Use Visualization and Affirmation)

• Interviewer: "Did you have faith [before you were successful] that your time would come and that you would be able to explode onto the scene as you have?" Conor: "If I didn't, it wouldn't have happened. I had to believe in it, I had to feel it, I had to have faith in it for it to happen. So you're damn right I did." 
• "I believed I would be successful [way before I was]. Very few people told me that [I would be successful]. A small group of people told me I would. Other than that, it was just me telling myself." 
  • Tell yourself you'll be successful. Use visualization, affirmation, and motivation. 
• "I don't like thinking too far ahead. People set long term goals, I don't do that. I already feel like I'm living it and then I just carry on, day by day, already living like I've achieved the final goal. The goal of being world champion. I already carry myself like I'm a world champion. I already speak like I'm a world champion." 
• "Confidence grows through work ethic." 
• Before Conor was UFC world champion: "I have been feeling like the UFC world champion since the day I arrived here."
• "I always visualized victory, success, and abundance. I visualized it all and it all happened." 

Lesson 5: Personal Brand, Speaking, and Content Marketing are Essential

• "I put in the work. I put out more content than Fox and ESPN. I put out more content than everyone, on my own channels. I'm a work horse from all angles, not just in the gym. I'm building this media empire now myself. I was putting out daily movies [videos]." 
  • Note: This quote is interesting. I thought he was going to say that he put in more work training MMA, doing cardio, and working out but he said he put out more social media content. This shows the importance of personal brand/content marketing. 

Lesson 6: Get a Group of Success-Minded Friends

• "I don't need friends that aren't involved in [mixed martial arts] or that aren't on the same path as me." 

Lesson 7: Work Hard

• "People say a loss can make or break a fighter. But trust me, a win can also make or break a fighter because they get comfortable and slack off. They'll slack off on the training and diet because they're a winner now. That's not me. If you go to sleep with a win, you'll wake up with a loss. So I just carry on [and keep improving]."
• "Nobody works harder than me, inside the octagon or outside the octagon. I am a work horse." 
• "I stay ready. I'm always in shape. You're not going to catch me out of shape." 

Lesson 8: Everyone Fails; Learn From Your Losses

• "In order to succeed in this game, you must lose a fucking shitload of times. You learn more from your losses." 

Lesson 9: Be Grateful for Everything

• Conor said he was grateful for everything. Even before he was successful, he was grateful for everything little thing. He said he remains grateful to this day and because of that, more success comes.