A winning mindset

If you haven’t heard of Tim Tszyu, it’s a name that will now be on your radar.

He is a light middleweight professional boxer and the son of the legendary former light middleweight world champion boxer, Kostya Tszyu – and he is quickly making a name for himself in the world of boxing.

Portrait of Boxer Tim Tszyu. Picture by: Phil Hillyard.

Earlier this year, I spoke with the up and coming Aussie boxing star about motivation, persistence and what it takes to have a winning mindset.

Given his overnight eighth round total knockout (TKO) win against Jeff Horn, it’s a good time to revisit what it takes to make a champion – tips all retail pharmacy assistants can take away to help achieve success within the community pharmacy space.

For some following in the footsteps of a famous, successful parent or sibling might be challenging in terms of paving your own path and getting your own name out in the sport. 

How did you go about paving your own way in the sport?

Growing up with dad was very much like a military camp – all discipline-based and no excuses. This put me in a great position for my pro career. The ideals instilled in me as a young kid growing up in Sydney have carried over to this day. It’s all about – never give up; no excuses. 

According to your website, as a six-year-old you started in gymnastics – your first foray into sport, and you’ve said this was the bedrock of your boxing career. What did you learn from gymnastics that helped you in your boxing career?

Gymnastics, like boxing, is an individual sport where you are testing yourself against yourself to be better [at] every event. Training alone takes a certain mindset and discipline to continuously improve and push yourself to new limits. 

In 2011 after a winning streak you suffered an injury (broke your wrist), which caused you to lose motivation. How did you bounce back and regain motivation?

Funny story. I went to the movies to see the boxing movie, Creed. That was the fuel that lit the fire [and kept me motivated]. I guess I never really lost the desire but just needed a break and some time to regain the hunger.

What’s your advice to retail pharmacy assistants about maintaining motivation and passion for their work?   

Work, like training, can become boring and a challenge [at times]. My advice would be to strive to be the very best [pharmacy] assistant you can – go the extra yards. Make it a competition to better yourself along the way. 

What is your advice to retail pharmacy assistants who have big goals in their careers/who want to develop their careers and achieve success? What’s your advice to help them reach their full potential?

Goals are so important in the workplace. Set realistic goals on a yearly basis as to where you want to be at the end of each year.

[Getting to the] top is achievable, but nobody will move you there. You need to drive the ambition, dedication, talent and ability to reach the top and stay there.

To read the full feature as it appears in the June issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine, visit: rpassistants.com.au/retail-pharmacy-assistants-june-2020/