Life Without Regret: It’s never too late

No regrets!

Growing up in Canada with Scottish heritage, soccer was ingrained in my blood from the moment I could kick a ball. With a soccer ball in my crib and my parents’ high expectations, I embarked on a journey that would test my resilience, determination, and ultimately, my belief in myself.

From a young age, I was pushed to excel in soccer by my father. Soccer became not just a game but a means to earn validation and acceptance from my father. However, as I grew older, soccer became more than just a sport. It became a reflection of my relationship with my father.

I Quit!

With the dream of one day playing professional soccer in Scotland I progressed through youth soccer leagues in Canada facing both triumphs and disappointments. At the age of 13, despite being a top scorer in my league, I was unexpectedly cut from an all-star team, leading to a crisis of confidence. This coupled with my parents’ messy divorce and desire to punish my father for his poor treatment of my mother prompted me to make the poor decision to quit the sport during my crucial teenage development years.

My Return

Years later, after my father and I repaired our relationship, he asked me to play soccer again at the age of 18. I agreed as I had been battling with the #regret of quitting the game and with it my unrealized potential. And because I was super rusty on the ball from all the years off, I focused my attention on defense. After a successful first season in the men’s amateur league, I parlayed that into a walk-on position as a defender at Vancouver Island University. In my second year I managed to get the All-Canadian award for the best central defender in the league across Canada. This gave me the confidence to fly over to Scotland, the birthplace of soccer and my ancestral homeland to see how far I could make it.

Take Action

In Scotland, I faced skepticism and challenges as a Canadian outsider trying to break into the local soccer scene. However, through sheer determination and relentless effort, I eventually earned a spot on a semi-professional team. Although I wasn’t good enough to move beyond this level, this experience quashed the regret I would have held for the rest of my life if I hadn’t tried. And furthermore, it taught me two valuable lessons that I have kept with me my whole life:

1) It’s never too late.

After missing more than 4 years of soccer during my most formative years of development nobody would have given me a chance to make it where I did. Detractors in our life pose as experts, but they don’t know and you don’t know how far you can go.

2) Live a life without regret.

People will tell you to just forget about past regrets. Focus on the future. Ya right! Easier said than done. And sure meditation or therapy can help, but nothing serves as a stronger panacea for regret than taking positive action towards either the goal that’s causing your regret or a current or future goal that you’d like to achieve.

BOOK ALERT!! My new book coming out in September 2024!