"To make a mistake and not correct it is to make a mistake indeed."
- Confucius
Theme of the Week: The Courage to Correct
Brother,
While I was playing professional soccer in Northern Ireland, I had not seen my fiance, Amalia, for almost a year. She had planned a trip to come visit me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, we would finally reunite. I had planned everything. From driving down to Dublin to pick her up, to simply spending time together and showing her the life I had built overseas.
The morning before she arrived, I was sitting at breakfast when my goalkeeper coach asked if I could play in a reserve match the following day. I explained that I couldn't. I told him Amalia was flying in from Canada, that I hadn't seen her in a year, and that I already had plans. He completely understood, and we both moved on.
About twenty minutes later, while the team was still eating breakfast, the assistant manager walked into the room and began tearing into me.
He questioned my professionalism, accused me of lying, and insisted that I had known about the game for over a week. In front of the entire team, he made it seem as though I was making excuses to avoid playing.
I remember sitting there feeling completely blindsided.
I was already living across the world, isolated from my family, still navigating life after COVID, and trying to earn my place within a new club. It wasn't simply that I had been yelled at, it was that my character had been questioned publicly over something that wasn't true.
Fortunately, I had screenshots of the conversation from earlier that morning showing exactly when I had been asked to play. I sent them to the coaching staff.
Later that day, while I was grabbing a coffee before training, the assistant manager came over and apologized.
At first, I appreciated the apology. But over time, it became less meaningful.
I realized that the experience had taught me two lessons that have stayed with me ever since.
The first is simple: before reacting, make sure you have all the facts.
How many disagreements, damaged relationships, and unnecessary conflicts begin because we assume instead of asking? Whether it's in sport, at work, or within our families, we often create stories in our minds before we truly understand what happened.
The second lesson is just as important: If you choose to criticize someone publicly, you should also be willing to correct yourself publicly when you discover you were wrong.
Private apologies have value, but when someone's reputation is damaged in front of others, restoring it deserves the same audience.
Everyone makes mistakes. But to me, true accountability is about being willing to repair the all of the damage your mistake created.
That takes humility, integrity, and strength.
Whether you're a coach, a parent, a manager, a teacher, or a friend, there will be moments where you get it wrong.
That doesn't define you
But refusing to correct it just might.
The strongest people I've met aren't the ones who never make mistakes.
They're the ones who have the courage to own them fully.
Stay strong, even when you are not. It’s okay, you are not alone.
With love always,
Michael Argyrides
