There’s One Thing in Life You Will Never Get Back

Don’t make Phil’s mistake

“Lost time is never found again” — Benjamin Franklin

Have you read Shoedog?

The memoirs of Phil Knight. It’s a great book.

But there’s a part of the book that, when I read it, sent shivers down my spine.

Phil is the founder of Nike and spent most of his life building one of the biggest brands in history.

He started off with $50 note borrowed from his dad and created a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Not bad, eh?

But despite his legacy and wealth, Phil struggles with heartache. Something he can never change. He had his chance, but his time has gone.

His biggest regret:

“not spending more time with his sons”

He was absent from the early days. The crucial days where kids need guidance, support and most of all love.

Despite his best efforts at a later age, he couldn’t repair the damage he caused by being absent.

Phil goes on to say his wife, Penny, would tell the kids, Daddy wasn’t absent by choice. That he was trying to build something.

The reason this part of the book haunts me is that I found myself following this exact path.

Granted I didn’t have an empire like Nike, but my actions (always absent) and narrative (I’m building something) were the same.

I’d be moody and short-tempered.

Doing things like building a basketball hoop would have been a hassle, not a pleasure.

I kept saying,

“I’ll make time when I’ve done X, Y or Z”

But never did.

There’s something that I’ll never forget…

When I was too busy “building” my kids called me Dad. Now that I got my chance to do the right thing, my kids call me Daddy.

To some people this probably means nothing. But to me it means everything.

Phil never got this chance. He left it too late. His eldest Matthew tragically died, and he never got to understand his son on a deeper level.

No amount of money or legacy will replace lost time.

What will you be doing today to build your relationships?

Please value every moment of your life.

Thank you for reading 😃