Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much effort we pour into something, it can still slip through our fingers—lost to time, to circumstance, to forces beyond our control. And that can feel like a cruel joke, like all that struggle was for nothing. But here’s the truth: it was never for nothing.

Every fall, every setback, every moment we thought we lost ourselves was a step toward becoming someone new. Growth is messy. Change is brutal. The world doesn’t always recognise how far we’ve come, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth the journey. The past may fade into memory, and the things we once fought for may crumble—but we remain. We are the sum of what we’ve overcome.

So, if the clock is ticking, if time is slipping through your hands, if the effort feels wasted—remember: you are still here. And as long as you’re here, there is always another beginning, another choice, another chance to rise again. In the end, what matters isn’t just the outcome. What matters is who we become along the way.