There are paths in life that aren’t necessarily meant for you. But because of circumstances, responsibilities, and choices already made, you still step onto them and keep walking.
Once on the road, there’s a phase — like so many others — where you think only about winning, succeeding, being faster, being better, crossing the finish line first. That hunger makes the game harsh, competitive, gradually turning into pressure, then negativity before you even notice.
Along that journey, I went through no small amount of pain. There were times I was exhausted, times I lost my direction, times I felt myself falling behind. I used to think that was failure — but later I understood, most of it was because I was trying to play a game that didn’t fit my own rhythm.
Then I slowed down. Not because I was giving up, but because I wanted to live differently. I started taking slower, more deliberate steps, watching more carefully. I learned to enjoy the present moment, to notice the small things around me — moments I used to rush past without a glance.
Also along that journey, I walked and saw no shortage of people who were hurt. Some were exhausted, some had lost their way, some had been left behind… I was seeing a reflection of my former self. I even saw some people who had to stop the game very early.
The difference was that I had changed the question in my head. Instead of asking: “How do I win this game?” I asked: “How should I play this game?”
From the moment that question changed, my journey became lighter. I became more resilient in overcoming life’s potholes, stronger in embracing impermanence.
And I came to understand: sometimes the value of life doesn’t lie in where you stand when it ends, but in how you traveled the road along the way.
What work are you doing, or what path are you walking?
— Thiện Minh