Photo: Equation of Self
Every day when we wake up, it’s a new birth. Whatever happened yesterday—that version of us already “died” during sleep. And today, the moment our eyes open, it becomes a new day with a new person. One small step toward positivity, one step toward good work, one step toward a dream—that’s how progress happens and how we build a better version of life.
The truth is: there is no future or tomorrow. Everything we have is the present, the present continuous—not even “today” as 24 hours, but this exact moment. Because we truly don’t know what can happen in the next minute.
Recently, I experienced something that made all these points painfully clear. Around four days ago, my mom and I were walking on the beach to watch the sunset. After a little walk, I decided to sit and watch quietly. We sat together, and five minutes later she said she wanted to walk a bit, while I preferred to stay still. I told her she could go and I would wait.
Just before she started walking, I called out, “Be careful, there’s a slippery place ahead. Avoid that part and walk on the sand.” But within one minute—while my eyes were still on the sunset—she fell exactly in that same place and got hurt. We rushed to the hospital. The X-ray showed a broken hand. It will take at least 2–3 months to heal.
Just a few seconds. One minute. Everything changed.
If we really had control over life, then not tomorrow—I should have been able to control even that next one minute.
Five days later, when I woke up, this thought came strongly to me again: When we sleep, we almost “die” every day. And with each morning, we are born again—a new day, a new person. So why not work on this moment, instead of thinking 10 years ahead, or even focusing on “today”?
I always believed in focusing on today. But after that incident, the truth became even sharper: it’s not about today—it’s about right now. This moment. We don’t know if we have a tomorrow or even the next minute. We can plan and work, but the rest is in our Creator’s hands.
So it’s better to be happy and give our best effort in this moment. If we made mistakes in the past—even one minute ago—we can’t go back. We can’t change the last few seconds. But we can make this moment better, meaningful, and full of intention.
With each rebirth every morning, these small steps will guide us. One day, we will look back and see how far we came—and how much we grew into a better version.
Just one step in this moment, not the whole day.
Ultimately, there is nothing more beautiful than Gratitude and Groundedness. Let’s practice positivity, stay rooted in these “2G” qualities, and give our best to this present moment.