Conor McGregor is one of the most successful pro athletes in the world, and he's known to demonstrate that success in the expected ways, with flashy outfits, cars, and vacations. But in a recent interview with motivational speaker Tony Robbins on his own TheMacLife.com website, he says that he's adjusted the way he spends his money, and it's all thanks to the example set by fellow mega-successful athlete LeBron James.
McGregor told Robbins that until recently, his attitude towards his relatively newfound wealth manifested itself mostly in conspicuous consumption:
"For so long, in my mid to late twenties when I started to acquire wealth and acquire money, I was fascinated with materialistic things. I would buy myself cars, watches."
But, now, he says, things have changed:
"I have switched off of that…I realized I was spending things on material items and not on myself, my being, and my fitness. I read that LeBron James spends $1.5 million yearly on himself. Physical therapists, masseuse, nutritionists, all of that. When I saw that, I said 'I spend zero [on myself].'"
McGregor went on to elaborate on how he used to devote less than 100 percent to his own physical maintenance:
"When a camp forms for a fight, I'll gather a team of people, we go into the Vegas desert and lock ourselves away for ten weeks and do insanity work. It's half-in, it's not all-in. You certainly cannot be that way in the fight game but in reality, you can't be that way in any game you're in. If you're in a game, make sure you're in it all the way and then that game will be your game. I've only taken this philosophy recently."
Of course, with one of the biggest fortunes in all of pro sports, owing in large part to his savvy business endeavors like his own fashion line and whiskey brand, McGregor can probably afford both the cutting edge physical training and the mega-expensive watches and cars. But that's probably beside the point, McGregor's being that your attitude towards how you spend your money (and your time) can make all the difference.