The only failure in life is giving up on yourself [NQM026]

''If you gave me the option between winning an Ironman, or winning a gold medal at the Olympics, or sacrificing my whole athletic career to stop one kid going to prison. I’d sacrifice everything. It wouldn’t even be a conscious thought.'' John McAvoy

At age 24, John McAvoy was sentenced to life in prison after his second conviction for armed robbery. At age 26, after getting on the indoor rower for the very first time, John goes on to break 3 world and 8 British records whilst in prison (you can read a great story about one of those records here).. At age 30, after being released on parole and a total of 10 years in prison including his first conviction, he became a professional triathlete and the only Nike sponsored IronMan athlete in the world. All this despite never being into sports or athletics until he found himself on that rower at age 26. Everyone has the capability to endure mental and physical suffering in order to grow, it just takes a willingness to change and awake that ability.

Everyone’s path to their own best self is different, and John is a living, breathing example of how one is capable of literally turning their life around 180 degrees. Not just in his athletic endeavors which would often come to define him, but his mentality towards life and the system. Growing up in a criminal family and being institutionalized to resist government rules and authority, he completely reinvented himself and became a governmental advisor for prison reform on 10 Downing St (UK’s Prime Ministry).

He credits his prison time for helping him grow stronger as a person, physically, mentally, and intellectually. He would devise body weight circuits in his cell, pushing out thousands of reps a day, while reading as many books as he could get his hands on. He eventually found himself on a rowing machine in the prison gym, and ended up breaking three world records and eight British records on the stationary rower. It is not like he had 24/7 access to this gym while in prison either, he had to maximize his training and effort with the minimal gym sessions he was able to secure.

John chronicles his amazing story in his book called Redemption. If you want a refreshing story of change and the endless possibilities of the human mind, I highly suggest reading this book.

Rich Roll sat down with John in 2018 for a great conversation about abilities to overcome and change. Check it out, with some thoughtful highlights below.

Rich Roll Podcast · John McAvoy: From Armed Robbery To Professional Athlete

If you are passionate about what you are doing, success will come: People think I am a freak case, so why would we proceed with this prison reform if only one person is able to do this? I am not the only person. There are countless of other people that have used sport to become better people. You are far more likely to get people to do something productive in their life if they are passionate about what they are doing.

Don’t waste valuable time: One day I wont be able to do these things anymore. I see it as a massive privilege, and when I turn up, don’t have any fear, just show up and experience it and see what it is like.

Getting the right message across: When I go and talk to kids, I do not scare them into not committing crime. That approach does not work, its been proven time and time again, but everyone wants to be successful. I don’t preach, I simply tell them that this is the set of decisions I made as a young man, this is where it led me, you don’t need to follow this specific path. You can become successful without taking this massive detour.

It can always get better: Never give up, always believe it can get better, because it can. Life is so precious and your alive and your breathing, and one day you wont, so you are winning the battle. When you think you have an off day, appreciate life as a precious thing, and move on.