Oct 19, 2026 · theme of the week: Becoming
Mental Monday - Edition 42
| Mental Monday |
 |
| “No man can swim ashore and take his baggage with him.” - Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 22.12 |
| theme of the week: Becoming |
| I remember sitting in a hospital bed during my cancer journey, being told that walking would become difficult. I heard about the damage treatment could cause to my joints, the possibility of knee and hip replacements, and losing the muscle I had spent years building. |
| I panicked. Competing was the only life I had known. Pushing my body brought me joy. I missed the change room with the boys and the feeling of going into battle together. |
| It felt like a part of me had died. |
| But things began to change when I accepted that my chapter as an athlete had ended. I released the internal pressure to train two times a day. I began letting go of the grind and the need to perform consistently. |
| I had to sit with and accept the reality of my circumstances and allow my future to take a different shape. Embrace the present moment. |
| I began creating a path beyond playing. I took my passion for athletics and high-performance, and learned how to use it to advocate and help others with who they want to become. My commitment to athletics could continue beyond my playing years. |
| Today, I work with high-level athletes on the mental side of performance, coach high-level hockey, and help men navigate difficult situations. |
| As I write this, my fiance and I are preparing to work with a varsity hockey program across the span of a week. Our work with the team will cover athletic performance, team culture, mental health awareness, and a puck drop to kick off their cancer awareness game. |
| My sporting background, cancer experience, business, and partnership with my fiance are coming together in a way I could never have imagined from that hospital bed. |
| I find fulfillment in helping someone work through a struggle, or seeing a young athlete finish a game and take pride in something beyond the result. |
| Releasing the future I had insisted on gave me room to build this one. |
| Holding tightly to who we believed we were supposed to become can narrow our view of what remains possible. This is what the quote for this week means to me. |
| It also means accepting where I am today without letting my baggage hold me back. Accepting our present circumstances creates room to consider where we can go from here. |
| The fulfilment I seek now comes from ongoing growth in myself and others - something that can continue throughout a lifetime. |
| I hope the people that engage with Path to Becoming recognize how strong they truly are. |
| I think of training the mind like training a muscle: it takes practice. |
| As perfection remains out of reach, we can continue on the path to becoming. |
| Stay strong, even when you are not. It’s okay, you are not alone. |
| Love always, |
| Michael Argyrides |
| Book a free consult |
This edition was sent to subscribers of Path to Becoming.
Get the next one in your inbox
Mental Monday and Feeling Friday, free every week — about a two-minute read.