JANUARY 19th - Step Back From that Literal Ledge, My Friend



Keeping with the theme of Heavyweight Champions in 1981, but moving on to a bit more uplifting news, on this day in 1981 Muhammad Ali talked a 21 year-old man off the ledge. Not a metaphorical ledge. An actual ledge. I dare call it a literal ledge because it has alliteration, and I love me any astounding alliteration, but using the word “literal,” even when accurately describing a situation, scares me because people use “literal” way too much. The cop specialists were talking to this guy for over an hour. Nothing. Still on that ledge. Then Ali rolls in and climbs out to the next window and eventually gets the guy inside. That’s pretty damn impressive. Certainly a better day than poor Leon had a few days prior when he bonked on the head and had his gold teeth stolen. You normally can’t equate how successful an athlete is in his given sport with his accomplishments or merit as man outside of that sport. OJ Simpson comes to mind. Of course Ali was a cultural icon and perhaps the greatest Heavyweight Champion of all time. He certainly thought he was. Call it bravado or cockiness, but he definitely had confidence in himself. Basically beat Foreman with trash talk. And that can be the most important ingredient, confidence and work ethic. When you get too caught up in who’s doing it better, questioning whether you are good enough, and generally doubting your ability, you begin moving backward. Be stupid enough to think it will work and smart enough to know it won’t without a lot of effort. Not saying you should start talking people off literal ledges, but I’m pretty sure Muhammad Ali only got that jumper back inside because he knew he could. That or he knew all the lyrics to Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper,” many years before they were written which wound up being the inspiration for that Yes Man scene. Time travel?



This day has been Marked.

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