It took me six years from first winning England’s Strongest Man in 2011 to being crowned World’s Strongest Man in 2017. And now, unbelievably, it’s been another six years to where I am today.
A lot has happened in the intervening period. And I mean A LOT! I’ve travelled the world, starred in my own TV series and several films, tried my hand at various other sports, met some incredible people, made some even more incredible friends, and, the biggest amazement of them all, become a dad again. I mean that is a busy six years. Fair to say there’s been times when I’ve woken up in hotels and taken a few minutes to remember which city I’m in. Actually, scrap that – more like which country.
At any point in the last six years it would have been easy to forget the journey I went on to achieve my dream in Botswana in May 2017. When finally I lifted that crown, I told anyone who’d listen that my life had been dedicated to achieving the world title. And I wasn’t lying. I had given everything to reach that point. I’d turned myself into a machine, not just through standard training, but by studying precisely what I needed to do, percent by percent, to make myself the best.
There were times where it seemed like long hard toil. But I never gave up on my ambition and I got there – faster actually than some imagined. I was on top of the world.
Looking back to that victory now, it could be yesterday, it could be lifetime ago. I haven’t stopped grabbing hold of life, and never have I wanted to – even if some of that life is different.
It’s important to recognise that there will come a time in all our lives when we move on to different things. That might be because we want to or maybe because we’ve had to. For instance, we might have suffered an irreparable injury. The reason doesn’t really matter, what’s important is that, when that time comes, we have the right mindset.
Part of that is accepting that things can’t stay the same forever. And part of moving on is welcoming new experiences into our lives. That doesn’t mean kissing goodbye to our old lives – strongman is still a massive part of who I am, and always will be. But at the same time it doesn’t mean that what comes next should always be compared, positively or negatively, with what came before. ‘Live for the day’, that’s the way to do it, which is precisely why next year you’ll see me in a whole new light, and a whole new sport. Keep checking back in here for details – but I’ll tell you now it’s a side of me you’ll have never seen before. A challenge like no other.
Embrace every chapter and it too can bring some incredible experiences – some incredible results. I can’t wait for 2024.