Nikita Koloff - Wrestling with Success: Developing a Championship Mentality

The secret of success is: There's no secret of success.

This book is dedicated to those who wrestle with life and don't quite know how to pin it down.

Part 1 -- Getting Ready

Part 2 -- Being Ready

Part 3 -- Staying Ready

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Part 4 -- Are You Ready?

Part 5 -- Wearing the Belt

Part 6 -- Epilogue of Thoughts and Insights

hi,

Ted DiBiase, The Million Dollar Man

When I think of Nikita Koloff my mind immediately diverts into two separate paths. My one thought is like that of many other people who are familiar with the sport of wrestling, I am sure. That is the picture of the "Russian Nightmare" standing in mid-ring with his hand raised after vanquishing another opponent amidst the awestruck legions of fans. The other is that of my long-time and most valued friend, with whom I have traveled countless miles since we have both left the battles of the ring.

The world of professional wrestling is full of unusual and colorful characters. As the "Million Dollar Man," I've pretty much met them all. I learned through my many years in the wrestling business that a real man is not measured by his physical stature or by the championship belt around his waist but by his integrity and the willingness to keep his word, no matter the cost. Nikita Koloff is such a man.

It is ironic, considering the decades we've spent traveling the world facing countless adversaries night after night, that Nikita and my paths never crossed in the ring. I do recall meeting him briefly in Atlanta when I was working for World Championship Wrestling and he was visiting Animal, of the Road Warriors, who was a friend of his. It was nothing more than a brief handshake and a few words, if that. His visage did not denote the havoc-wreaking machine from the Soviet Union, but one of a young athlete like so many others I had met, complete with the blow-dried, feathered hair of the disco era.

A few years later, I kept hearing of this giant Russian carving a large path throughout the Mid-Atlantic territory. At 6 feet 2 inches tall and 285 pounds, Nikita cast a menacing figure. Later I learned that this man that seemed invincible in the ring and that couldn't speak any English was the same kid with the perfect hair I had met a few years earlier. Only Nikita could have pulled that off.

You may be wondering what all this has to do with developing a championship mentality and succeeding no matter what the obstacles, but if you take a closer look at what it takes to succeed, you will see a strong correlation. What Nikita did in the ring is the same thing that he, I, and others have put to work in successful ventures outside of the ring.

It doesn't matter what you are striving for in life. Whether it be in athletics, education, family, or business the same tenets apply and the path to success is always the same. It starts with the ability to set goals and to say "here is where I want to go and I am willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary to achieve it." Next, it takes the courage to make a commitment to those ends, and finally, the will to follow through until you succeed.

I believe that you cannot truly experience the joy of success until you have felt the pain of failure. There is no shame in failure, but there is in refusing to try. In fact, most of the successful people I know have had many failures along the way, but they were willing to take risks. Nikita knows this well, so listen closely.

Nikita explains in this book that success comes by doing little things and in that you will find success in the larger things you wish to achieve. It may not be easy, but more games are won by racking up base hits than by hitting grand slams.

After I graduated from West Texas State University, I entered professional wrestling, not at the top but as a preliminary wrestler. My job was to lose. And lose I did, every night to everyone I faced. I knew my time would come, so I not only had to be patient but I had to be ready when it came. We would wrestle in Shreveport, Louisiana on Tuesday night and the top stars would stay over to do interviews for their upcoming matches on television the next day. Then we would have to drive as many as 300 miles afterward to the next match. I would also stay, not to do interviews (after all, who would want to listen to a guy who gets beaten every night?), but to listen to those who were interviewed and to take notes.

I was a long way from the main event, but I knew that when I finally made it I would have the skills I would need to be successful. Yes, it was a sacrifice to drive all afternoon to the next town. Many times I barely made it before the opening hell, but it was more than worth it. There is always a price to be paid, and as Nikita spells out in the ensuing pages, if you are willing to pay it you will find many successes in your future.

This is not just another book on business and success philosophy, but a practical guide written by a man who accomplished tremendous goals by overcoming nearly every obstacle imaginable. Pay close attention and don't be afraid to put these ideas into practice for yourself. You will be most glad that you did.

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Why is this book for you? -- or not for you.

Everybody thinks professional wrestling is fixed -- and everybody is wrong. Including you!

The outcomes are predetermined. Just because I knew how the match would end, didn't mean I didn't have to get ready to win.

The secret to your success is predetermining your outcomes.

You are looking for the secret to success -- and I found it -- and I'm going to share it. All you have to do is read until you find the AHA! for yourself.

Success is about many things and comes in many forms.

Success is about failure.

Success is about getting ready.

Success is about predetermined outcomes.

I have been a champion athlete.

I have been a champion in professional wrestling.

And I have been a champion at professional business.

All those championships have everything in common.

You don't have to be a professional wrestler to be a success, but you do have to wrestle: with yourself, with your self-discipline, with your desires, with your passion, with your attitude, with your belief, and with your spirituality.

It's way better than that. Sure, there's a hunch of interesting stories about the real and surreal world of professional wrestling. But more important, it takes those stories and examples and shows you what you can learn from wrestling and convert it to your own success.