Life has this way of throwing us into the deep end without giving us the rulebook first. We’re born into circumstances we don’t choose — a family, a financial situation, a belief system — and we’re expected to somehow navigate it all like we’ve been here before. But the truth is, none of us have.
I often find myself asking the big question: why are we here? Is there some cosmic purpose? Some lesson we’re meant to learn? And if so, why can’t we get it right the first time? Why do we need to burn through relationships, bank accounts, opportunities, and dreams before we figure out who we really are and what actually matters?
Because I’ll be honest with you — I didn’t get it right.
I was born into a wealthy family, given opportunities most people only dream of, and I squandered so much of it. Bad decisions. Impulsive choices. Ignoring red flags. Believing I was untouchable. I burned bridges, spent money like it would never run out, and built a life on shaky ground. And when it all came crashing down, it wasn’t just me who paid the price — my children did too.
That’s the part that hurts the most.
Now, I’m standing here in the middle of my life, looking at an uncertain future, asking myself what it all means. What was the point of having it all if I didn’t know how to keep it? What was the point of falling so hard if I didn’t see it coming?
And yet, as much as I wish I could, there are no mulligans in life. No do-overs. No rewind button to go back and tell my younger self to slow down, to breathe, to listen.
But maybe — just maybe — that’s the whole point.
Maybe we’re not here to get it right the first time. Maybe we’re here to get it wrong, learn from it, and grow into the people we were always meant to become.
I’ve made peace with the fact that I can’t change my past, but I can still shape my future. I can forgive myself for the choices I made when I didn’t know better. I can work on becoming a better man, a better father, a better human — starting today.
So, no, we don’t get a mulligan in life. But we do get moments — right now, this very second — to choose differently. To heal. To learn. To love better. To stop surviving and start living.
Maybe that’s the meaning of life: not getting it perfect, but getting better.