Completing to competing - Entrepreneur Generations

Everyday I'm looking at new ways to learn, grow, progress, share, connect and give more to this life around me.  The journey has taken me from a young kid, to teenage gangs, to a prison cell, solitary, being locked abroad and sectioned in that high security mental asylum in Greece with a lifetime of chronic illness with no hope of recovery and to come home to Scotland with nothing.  At 21 stone in weight (135 kg) to start building better times ahead then to become a father then be refused access after relationship breakdown. To have nothing and then take charge. 

Take charge of my life, health, direction, mindset and break free to design a lifestyle that works for me and one that I can share so others around me can smile and see more than hope, they can see example, patterns and lifestyle.  Lost between 8 and 9 stone in weight (around 55kg). Become an ultra running athlete taking marathon from 4:53 to 2:55 and ran 100 miles, the first time in 24:37 and second time 20:37 & coming in 3rd place.  I've hit podiums at other events too, from 10k to ultra which I'm grateful for. I love and share plant based nutrition, eat large amounts of fruit & vegetables and believe in the mental health benefits along with peak physical and emotional condition too.  Appeared on TV, newspaper, magazines and just an example of mental health recovery, lifestyle change and feel forever blessed I've had the chance to connect with so many people. 

I'm outgoing, strong and love what I do. I've also learned on the journey that when you change so much that loneliness can strike of being successful and it can hurt also, looking back doing so much was proving to the world I was good enough and that journey took me back internal, to where I started. With meditation, mindfulness, writing and just communication with everyday people. I've now went onto public speaking, mental health talks, health talks, spiritual talks to a nutrition talk at the SECC in my home town at the end of the year. I just see myself as me, doing what I love everyday but looking back on the journey I smile. The places I've been there's never been competition, I've been in a boxing match with myself and I've been winning. But now I'm at the competitive part of ultra-running and other parts, I'm starting to get an ego like all my friends have to, they want to win and I think why not go for it too. It's like saying goodbye to another life again. I've built this lifestyle now and maybe all that's left is to win by keep going, my running has just been my moving mediation, prayer time and meditation but running faster makes the heart explode and it hurts, it's different from the relaxed method I'm used to. The competitive part is healthy in sport, business and so on but competition in my old life was deadly so it's going to take a while to get used to it. Love reading now and got my own library in the house, looking at the mindset of other athletes and other things too and when asked by my friend how I would sum my running up to my full potential I said around 10-20% as I've just seen myself as having fun and every mile was bringing me to my family, health, people and a new lifestyle & it has. 

I have amazing times with my daughter, she has a great life with her mummy too and we are all blessed to be moving forward on our own paths. I have time with close friends I've met on this journey over the past few years, private parts to life also and texts from the competitive friends to push forward and friends in all other areas too. I love the social media connection as I really started the journey on my own many years ago, from the mental asylum to crying at the bottom of the mountains at Loch Lomond with nothing and those strangers who helped me and treated me nice, to people online showing support to me and i wanted to open up to give back.  I met new friends also and said goodbye to all the old by understanding we are all on a different journey and what takes you from A to B doesn't necessarily take you from B to C.  I'm just grateful now, I've got a house at the canal with a gym next door with swimming pool.  I talk to everyone in my community and they support me on these boxing matches with myself through ultra-running, I respect others in the sport and have made a lot of mistakes learning, changing and redirecting from where I once was until now. 

I took some time to evaluate everything, to look at everything, question everything & decide what's next. Keep connected on social media with blog, YouTube videos and Twitter and let the rest go.  Read more, write more and grind more with the running too. Enjoy all the opportunities with others to talk, speak and also connect and enjoy all the fruit and vegetables possible, water, meditation and travel too.  Off to Canary Islands again at the start of next year to kick off the training, I don't train for the events, I do it for the lifestyle but have picked 3 events next year to transform my thinking of completing to competing and enjoy having an ego in a lifestyle that it's ok to have one. 

There's no catching Mo Farah at the 26.2 that's for sure but when it comes to 100 miles & 24 hours then anything can happen on those races and that's when I thrive. With the uncertainties I grow stronger #LoveTheJourney ❤️

from William Robertson http://ift.tt/1Ha0mrd Completing to competing - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet