If you woke up tomorrow at the end of your life, would you be able to smile?

Allow me to ask you a very deep question: "If you woke up tomorrow at the end of your life, would you be at peace?"

People often talk about the importance of finding answers, but I've realized that the true power lies in asking the right questions. 'Wander & Wonder' is a series about that very journey: from the aimless 'wandering' days filled with crossroads and career decisions, to the 'wondering' moments—the moments I dared to ask and began seeking answers to my own deepest concerns. Welcome to post #9 in the "Wander & Wonder" series. Let's reflect together on the question: "If you woke up tomorrow at the end of your life, would you be able to smile?"

I often ask myself this question whenever I feel scared, discouraged, hurt, or hopeless. When this question rises from the depths of my soul, a sense of peace echoes back within me, because I understand that time is finite. It reminds me not to immerse myself in any single moment for too long, but to simply bathe in each phase of life and keep moving forward.

This is not a far-fetched question. This is a dialogue with your own future. Because one day, we will all stand at the end of the road, and the only thing left will not be what we possessed, but how we lived. The heaviest burden at that moment, perhaps, can be captured in just two words: "If only."

If only I had been braver that day. If only I had lived more true to myself.

This life, truly, is too short to be lived for the judgment of others.

There is a simple truth that we often forget amidst the hustle and bustle: This life is too short to live someone else's life. We spend too much time worrying about judgments, trying to fit into the molds created by society. We are afraid of making mistakes, of being different, of not being loved. That fear is like an invisible cage, imprisoning our aspirations and locking away our true selves.

And so, we continue to do a job we dislike. We postpone the trips our hearts yearn for. We bury the words of love we dare not speak. With each hesitation, we plant another seed of regret for the future. Is the fear of failure, the fear of judgment, holding you so tightly that you choose safety over happiness?

Or conversely, are you racing up the career slope, trading family dinners and deep sleep to reach a finish line that you aren't even sure is what you truly want? Amidst all that busyness, have you ever felt lost, and forgotten the last time you truly lived for yourself?

Whether you are standing still or running at full speed, perhaps we all face a common truth: we are letting time pass by regretfully.

Time is crueler than we think.

It gives form to our fears and silently takes away the ones we love.

It is the fear of waking up one morning, looking in the mirror, and seeing that we have grown old, yet our souls are still filled with too many regrets. Regret is not a scar; it is a ghost that follows us to the end of our lives, whispering of the roads not taken, the words of love left unspoken.

And it is the fear of loss. There will come a time when the kitchen no longer carries the familiar scent of our mother's cooking, when the living room is missing the sight of our father's back. There will come a time when our closest friends take different paths, leaving us with appointments that were never kept. Time waits for no one. It silently takes away the people we love, and that pain is a reminder that their presence today is a priceless gift.

A phone call home.

A word of thanks.

An apology.

A tight hug.

Don't wait until all that's left are memories to realize what you've missed.

Cherish your family, cherish your friends. Right now, while you still can.

So how do we prevent that fear from paralyzing us and instead turn it into motivation? How do we transform the finiteness of time into a gift? The answer lies in how we proactively "design" our time, starting with very concrete actions.

5 Small Steps to Begin Your Journey

1. Listen to and Understand Your Day

   • The Method: For 21 days, track your daily activities and your emotions while doing them. You can create a simple Excel sheet or use a notebook, divided into 3 groups: 1. Joyful & Meaningful Activities, 2. Meaningful but Boring Activities, 3. Tiring & Meaningless Activities. The goal of this step is simply to recognize, not to judge.

   • My Story: From this, I realized that watching good, meaningful movies with my family is an activity just as meaningful and joyful as completing a project from idea to execution. 15 minutes of watering the plants on my balcony brings me more complete joy than 30 minutes at glamorous social parties full of strangers. I also realized that avoiding gossip keeps my mind much healthier and more focused.

2. Start with the Smallest Things to Overcome Procrastination

   • The Method: The hardest part of anything is getting started. Instead of thinking about a huge goal, use the "2-minute rule." Promise yourself that you will do the task for just 2 minutes. Want to read a book? Just read one page. Want to exercise? Just put on your workout clothes and warm up for 2 minutes. Want to write? Just write one sentence. Once you've started, momentum will help you continue much more easily.

   • My Story: There are days when I feel very low on energy for writing. Instead of forcing myself to sit at my desk for hours, I just tell myself, "Just write for 15 minutes, then take a break." And usually, after those 15 minutes, the flow of inspiration returns, and I can write continuously for an hour.

3. Proactively Make Time for What Truly Matters

   • The Method: Once you know what is truly important to you, prioritize and protect the time for it, treating it like an unmissable meeting. Make doing these things an easy habit.

   • My Story: I always set aside fixed blocks of time for learning, for my immediate and extended family, and for quiet moments to let my mind relax. To make waking up early easier, besides setting an alarm, we don't draw the curtains, allowing the sun to wake us up naturally.

4. Learn to Be Fully Present in the Moment

   • The Method: Choose a daily activity and turn it into a mindfulness practice. The goal is to bring your mind back to your body, to experience life with all your senses.

   • My Story: My family agreed not to use phones during meal times ever since our child could sit and eat with us. When I visit my parents, I always try to arrange my work beforehand so that my body and mind can both be present at home, allowing me to fully enjoy going to the market, cooking, and talking with them.

5. Transform "Dead" Moments

   • The Method: Find ways to turn boring, unavoidable pockets of time (like commuting or waiting) into useful and intentional moments.

   • My Story: I no longer drive. Instead of being stressed on the road, I use the time in the car to listen to podcasts, handle messages, or talk to the drivers to hear more stories about life and people. I also use social media as a small journal to share moments and connect with purpose, rather than scrolling aimlessly.

If there is one most important promise you need to make in your life, promise that you will live this life for YOU.

That is not a promise of selfishness. It is a promise of courage. The courage to take off the cloak of external expectations and listen to the voice from deep within.

Our time is finite. Don't use it merely to exist. Use it to create a story that, when you read it back later, you won't wish you could erase a single chapter.

P.S.: The ad-film is from the Bank of Taiwan, released around 2011. It quickly became a global phenomenon not just for its brilliant filmmaking, but because it was based on a completely true story. The video was inspired by the story of a group of friends called the "Grand riders" (roughly translated as 'The Old Knights/Riders'). In 2007, a group of 17 Taiwanese men, with an average age of 81, decided to fulfill their youthful dream: to take a 13-day, 1178 km motorcycle trip around the island of Taiwan. In the group, just like in the video, each person had their own age-related health issues: one had cancer, one was hearing-impaired, and many had heart conditions and arthritis. But together, they overcame it all to fulfill a promise to their departed friends and to live their final days to the fullest. The Bank of Taiwan's ad campaign recreated this phenomenal journey with the core message: "Go For It! - For dreams that never grow old."

Jasmine Nguyen