How to Use Your Mistakes to Make You Even Stronger- Trent Morrow

Last week I talked to Tawnee Prazak, the host of Endurance Planet. She talked about how she found balance in her busy life; so if you’re like me and you tend to cram in too much,
be sure to check it out
.

Today, however, I’m sitting down with Trent Morrow. Also known as Marathon Man, Trent is the World record holder for the most marathons on seven continents in one year. He’s also the Australian World record holder for the most marathons in a year, and currently he’s actually run over 300 marathons.

But Trent has more to offer than just World records; you asked for more everyday runners, and he is exactly that. He started off by losing 70 pounds, having never been a runner before. His story will undoubtedly resonate with you as well, and he describes what he hopes to do in the future through inspiring others. His plans are sure to leave you with a huge smile.

Today he shared with us the moment when he realized something had to change in his life, and so much more.

Today’s topics included:

How marathoning came together for Trent
How he made it a point to be start being fit
What he would tell someone who struggles with “being too busy”
The things that didn’t work for him, and why he made diet his priority
How he manages to stay healthy and injury-free with back-to-back races
What’s next in his future and where he’s planning on going from here

Sometimes we have the best intentions, but we can still get lost in our day to day activities and those best plans can go off track. Everything comes back to how much you want it, how important it is to you, and then sharing it with other people, as well.

In Trent’s case, he had to keep looking to find what was suitable for him. He’s not going to sit there and say that what worked for him will be just as successful for us. It always comes down to each person figuring out what works best for them.

Trent started from scratch by doing just that. He started with different diets and with other types of exercises before he began with running. It’s too easy for us as runners to follow other people’s advice, but we often forget it’s not necessarily going to work the same for us as it did for them.

Trent’s weight loss journey and marathon journey were very similar in his mind. They were both about setting a goal and having something to focus on, and we think we can all appreciate that in every area of life. No matter what it is, you need to have something to focus on that will inspire you to move forward.

Whether it’s a matter of signing up straight away or researching and finding something that inspires you, it’s really good to have new experiences.

He shares some of the experience of what it was like for him as new runner, without expectations or knowing what the pain would be like. The one thing that you can’t predict is what you’re body is going to do: you do the very best you can on the given day.

But when our best isn’t good enough, our mistakes aren’t something we should beat ourselves up over. They’re there so we can look at them and see what we can learn from them to be stronger next time around. Then it’s about creating a new focus.

Trent explains that in his opinion, what separates us all is what’s between our ears, and it’s all about what we focus on. And that’s where having the right people and the right influence comes in handy, as well.

To break it down, it’s about: when would now be a good time?

We can all sort of choose our own journey in life, and it’s a matter of what’s important to you and whether you’re willing to step up and take action, more than anything else. Because at the end of the day no one is going to do it for you and you are the one that has to be responsible for the change to be ultimately successful.

The simple equation is: without action, you get no result. Talk is cheap, but we can all do it when we’re ready to do it. It’s really important to surround yourself with the very best people out there, that will hold you to your new standards, push you to be the best version of yourself and achieve your goals.

Remember that it’s not going to be a perfect journey, that there are going to be setbacks, and know not to lose faith when that happens; have that belief in your dreams. It’s not only about achieving our short term goals, but refocusing and looking towards what’s next to inspire you to go all the way, to have flexibility, and learn that it’s OK to not get where want to get to in that short-term. Instead reassess, refocus and relax, knowing that things will come together in time.

When the going gets rough and you start to lose faith and think you’re not going to make it, Trent tells us to believe in ourselves. It’s a matter of having that self-belief to be able to keep moving forward and putting one foot in front of the other to move a little bit closer to our goal.

Find that meaning and purpose to be able to drive harder each day. You also need to be consistent; no matter what that goal is, you need to dig deep and reassess, know that it’s OK, and figure out what to do differently next time.

Make sure you can achieve what you set out to do in the here and now, and have the faith and the confidence that the rest will take care of itself. If you don’t get across the finish line you signed up for today, it doesn’t matter what’s coming up next.

Trent’s final advice:
I fully believe that if you want it bad enough, you will find a way. It’s just a matter of trying and trying trying, and knowing It may not work the first time, it may not work the second time, and it may not even work the fiftieth time. But if you fully believe in it, and believe that’s the direction for you, then you’ll achieve it and won’t let anyone stop you from achieving it.

Check out Dick Beardsley’s episode about never, ever giving up.

Share your dreams, share your goals, and keep in touch with Trent through Facebook so you can hold each other accountable!

Quotes:

“It’s about finding something that inspires and excites you.” Trent

“It’s a journey that is better shared with others.” Trent

“I think that it’s all about what we focus on.” Trent

“The simple equation is: without action, you get no result.” Trent

“Be yourself, have faith and know that with a little discipline each day, you can accomplish whatever you want in life if you really want it bad enough.” Trent