How New York City Got Its Juicy Nickname “The Big Apple” — And What It Means To The World

 By Chris Ekeme

We often speak of time as if it’s slipping through our fingers, a fleeting resource we’re powerless to hold onto. But this is where we’ve been deceived. Time isn’t going anywhere.

It stretches infinitely before and after us, unchanging and unconcerned. The truth is far more confronting: you are the one passing through. While time remains eternal, your days are numbered.

This realization should shake you. The real tragedy isn’t wasted time, but a wasted self. Every moment spent in hesitation, comparison, or self-doubt isn’t just a minute lost, it’s a fragment of your irreplaceable existence slipping away. You weren’t put here to watch life happen from the sidelines. You were meant to carve your name into the world, to leave an imprint so deep that your absence would be felt.

Yet too many live as though their value is determined by someone else’s ruler. They measure their progress against neighbors, colleagues, or strangers on screens, not realizing this very habit is the poison slowing their stride. Consider this: a cow thrives on grass, but the same meal would kill a dog. A lion reigns supreme on the savanna but would drown in the ocean where the shark dominates. Neither is inferior – they’re simply designed for different terrains.

Why then do we torture ourselves with comparisons? Why do we fixate on why our journey doesn’t resemble another’s, instead of mastering the ground beneath our own feet? The path that brings one person triumph could very well lead you to ruin. The career, relationship, or lifestyle that fills someone else with purpose might leave you empty.

You possess a singular combination of strengths no one else can wield in quite the same way. Perhaps it’s still hidden, buried under years of being told to follow conventional paths. Maybe you’ve neglected it because it doesn’t fit the mold of what society celebrates. But remember: a rose will never make a good stew, just as a tomato will never perfume the air. Both have value – but only when they embrace their true nature.

There’s profound comfort in knowing that the door of grace doesn’t close prematurely. Every creature on Noah’s ark arrived in its own time, even the snail. Your pace doesn’t disqualify you. Your stumbles don’t erase your destiny. That broken crayon in your hand? It still colors. The dreams you think are too delayed? They’re still valid.

Here’s what you must sear into your mind: you have no idea how close you are to your turning point. History is filled with those who quit one step before their miracle. The world is run by those who kept going when everything said stop.

So today, make this pact with yourself: no more living someone else’s life. No more measuring your worth against misplaced standards. Time isn’t your enemy, your hesitation is. The world doesn’t need another imitation; it needs the unapologetic, fully-realized you.

Your race isn’t the one you think you should be running. It’s the one only you can run. Now, take your mark. The clock isn’t ticking down. You’re rising up.