Creating Second Chances

When I was a teenager, I loved doing athletics. I had an opportunity to pursue it, and I didn’t take it. At the time, I didn’t have the confidence, self-belief, or the support to believe it was something I could really go for. So I gave it up.

Over the years, I’ve thought about it many times. Wondering if I’d been in a different place back then, what might have been different.

Spending too much time dwelling on the past isn’t helpful. But using it to inform the present and the future is.

So, at 59, I’ve decided to go back to it.

Not to prove anything to myself or anyone else. Not to chase medals. Just to reconnect with something I once loved and never felt fully finished with.

I’ve started by reaching out to my local track and field club to find out more about their over-50s programme. It felt exciting and a bit daunting. I honestly don’t know where it will lead, or if it will lead anywhere at all, and that’s kind of the point. It doesn’t have to lead anywhere. I’m simply giving that interest and passion the opportunity it didn’t get when I was younger. That’s it.

I’m also getting back into running on my own.

Here’s the thing:

Lost opportunities and dreams don’t have to stay lost. We can use them to fuel choices and decisions for the present and the future. They can evolve. They can change to what feels appropriate for you now.

Sometimes going back to things isn’t about reliving the past. It’s about moving forward with how you want to bring those things back into your life, and avoiding regrets for not giving it a go and spending the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

Over to you:

What opportunity or dream did you once have that you wish you had pursued, or that you wish had turned out differently? Is there a way to bring it back into your life in some form? What’s one small step you could take to get the ball rolling?

Let me know. I’d genuinely love to hear what comes up for you.

Signing off for now to keep my commitment to myself and get out there for a short run.

Til next time,

Ali