10 Things I Learned (Again) In 2017

10 Things I Learned (Again) In 2017:

1. People are inherently good.
I experienced so much kindness, love, and support from family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers in 2017. Don’t let the bad apples taint your belief in humanity. Humans are good. There really is goodness in everyone. I think it is important to remember that everyone was once a baby. And babies are awesome.

2. Resilience is everything in life.
The person who is willing to endure the most suffering for his/her dreams is the one who is most likely to achieve them. The difference between success and failure in life is a very, very thin line. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. Never give up on the people and things that you love, especially your dreams.

3. Dreams do come true.
Never in a million years would I have believed that my life would be what it is today. I went through so many dark days over the course of my life. It definitely hasn’t been wine and roses for me. I’ve had many failures, heartbreaks, disappointments, setbacks, and tears. I even had opportunities to quit on myself when I was down and out, but I somehow always got back up. Dream big. Do good. Work your ass off. Never give up. And everything else will take care of itself.

4. No one succeeds alone.
I have been the recipient of many blessings in life, especially the phenomenal people in my life. First and foremost, I am full of gratitude to the most amazing woman in the world, Clara. Without her love, wisdom, advice, and support, I would be nothing. She is my love, my best friend, and my partner in everything. Thank you to Saurabh Mittal, my best buddy from Harvard. We were among the poorest kids at Harvard, but we both somehow managed to make it. The coolest thing is that we always helped each other every step of our lives and careers over the last 20+ years. And we are both one of the main reasons for each other’s success in life. I am so thankful to have Saurabh as my partner on this amazing journey called ONE Championship. Thank you to Derek Lau from Heliconia Capital and Shailendra Singh from Sequoia Capital for your leadership, friendship, support, and belief. You guys have been absolutely instrumental in building what will be Asia’s greatest multibillion dollar sports media property in history. Thank you to Team ONE, the greatest sports media team on the planet! You guys rock! I am so blessed to serve you as your leader. Lastly, thank you to all of the athletes and fans of ONE Championship for giving me the opportunity to live the life of my dreams! Without a doubt, ONE Championship would not be where it is today without Clara, Saurabh, Derek, Shailendra, Team ONE, our athletes, and the world’s greatest fans.

5. Integrity is the foundation of greatness.
No one is perfect, but we should always strive to do the right thing. Live your life in a way that would make your mom proud – even if she knew your worst moments. I’m far from perfect (and I make many mistakes and I have a nasty temper), but I always think about honoring my mom in everything I do. Without her, I would never have made it in life. Do the right thing even if no one is watching. I love you, Mom! Thank you for everything.

6. Karma takes care of everything.
Good luck blesses good people. Bad luck curses bad people. I’ve seen it over and over throughout my life. Over the course of my career, I have had people lie to me, steal from me, cheat me, badmouth me, backstab me, deceive me, betray me, and more. It is easy to become jaded, but I refuse to let these bad apples taint my belief in humanity and dampen my desire to do good in the world. Protect your inner child. Believe in people. Do good in the world. Chase your greatness. And let karma take care of everything.

7. Live your passion.
Thank you everyone at EVOLVE for inspiring me every day to be the best version of myself. I am so blessed to train martial arts every day with some of the greatest human beings on the planet. Martial arts is what I love. Martial arts is who I am.

8. Forgiveness is good for the soul.
Forgive others. Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes. To err is to be human. I wish that I had learned this lesson in my 20s. I would have forgiven my father for abandoning us, and I would have given both of us much peace and love. Let go of negative energy. And always seek the beauty in others.

9. The law of attraction is real.
Surround yourself with happy people who live with gratitude and you will see that your life will be happier too. When you are happy, you attract other happy people. Happiness begets happiness. Positivity begets positivity.

10. Love is all we need.
Do what you love with people you love. Fill as many hours of each day with love. For me, success has nothing to do with the size of your house, or how many cars you have, or how big your bank account is. Success is doing what you love every day, and making a positive impact on the world. If you do what you love with people you love, you will be happy. And happiness is the greatest barometer of success in life. At the end of the day, we all die. Nothing remains, except for the impact we make on our loved ones and on the world. Love fearlessly, do good in the world, and everything else will take care of itself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!! Let’s make 2018 the greatest year of our lives yet! No one is perfect, but everyone deserves happiness. May your life be filled with love, laughter, and joy in everything you do.

Here is to an EXTRAORDINARY 2018!!! LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Chatri Sityodtong is a self-made entrepreneur and lifelong martial artist from Thailand. His rags-to-riches life story has inspired millions around the world on BBC News, CNN, Financial Times, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Channel NewsAsia, and other major media. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of ONE Championship, Asia’s largest global sports media property in history with a global broadcast to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 136 countries around the world. Forbes most recently selected Sityodtong as one of Asia’s next generation tycoons. He was also named “Asia’s King of Martial Arts” by the Financial Times and the “3rd Most Powerful Person in Sports in Asia” by FOX Sports. He is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at INSEAD, Europe’s top business school. Sityodtong holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Tufts University.