Choices

     I don’t consider myself an expert in the sports injury or business field. There are plenty of world renown therapists, medical practitioners and business leaders that are years ahead of me. However, I am passionate about what I do, with a decade of experience starting and operating a small business. There have been several bumps in the road and by no means am I done learning, experiencing and growing as a leader in my field, to be honest, I still wouldn’t say I have hit the pinnacle of success, not even close!

My path has not been an easy one, the dreams of the future I conjured up in my mind while in my third and finally year of college working at a local downtown Peterborough coffee bar late into the evenings while on my second pot of highly caffeinated yet incredibly flavourful coffee, have not yet come to be. I can still remember sitting with a classmate and good friend, in the same afore-mentioned coffee shop, talking about the future and what it will be like when we can finally sit after our work day, put our feet up, grab a drink, read the paper and say “life is good”. Let me point out that by no means am I saying my life is not good. As I sit to write this, at my second office, Starbucks, while savoring my go to morning brew (my coffee addiction is incredibly evident at this point already), I currently have five incredible children, an absolutely beautiful wife, a roof over my head, food on the table, own a rehabilitation clinic in Peterborough, I have worked with National Sporting Teams, elite and professional athletes and am proud to be able to call some of Canada’s top athletes friends. So life is good, I would even say life is great…just not what I had thought it was going to look like when I contemplated the next ten years when I was back in college. I can’t say I’ve had a chance to read the paper in about eight years!  Life plans change, situations and climate changes, and we simply roll with the punches.

I certainly wouldn’t change much; I love my wife and kids and would go to the grave for them; I couldn’t imagine life without them. However, there are parts of my business journey that I don’t think I would enjoy repeating! Life is full of lessons, and I’ve always said “there are no mistakes, only lessons learned and experiences gained; no regrets”. But as I look back at a few choices I’ve made in business, I might actually say that it’s possible to regret certain decisions. I’ve tried to approach business with a motivation and passionate fervor that would inspire a generation, but some situations, day-to-day struggles and the trap of complacency and monotony I have found myself in from time to time, has led to a rather bitter taste.

So here I am faced with another choice and another cup of coffee to start the next chapter. Maybe it’s the caffeine, maybe it’s the adrenaline of being backed into a corner and needing to fight for survival, but regardless, it feels as though the motivation is slowly creeping back. With the new decision to write, educate, compose my thoughts and experiences on paper with the hope that someone will learn from my past regrets, gives me a new passion and purpose. Maybe I will be able to give those regrets purpose and reason.

This blog will seek to inspire and motivate others. To inform and involve those in similar situations or those starting out. I hope you will make the choice to follow along, and hopefully this will not be a regret but a decision made that will help guide, shape and motivate your journey.