Your One Precious Life - 🌍🧬💎⌛

Published: Fri, 01/17/25

Updated: Fri, 01/17/25

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.

Mary Oliver

There’s a question I ask myself every morning before the world intrudes with its demands: What do I plan to do with my one wild and precious life? Borrowed and adapted from Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day, this question is not a fancy productivity hack or a vapid motivational mantra. It’s an anchor, pulling me back to the truth that life isn’t a race to be won but a fleeting gift to savour.

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No loss should be more regrettable to us than losing our time for it's irretrievable.

I spend my days crafting worlds and hoping I can express the nuances of human nature in an entertaining way. But outside the pages of my stories, I’m grappling with the same challenges as anyone else: how to make this one life meaningful, work hard without losing myself, and stay present in a world that constantly pulls me away from the moment.

🌟 Tomorrow’s Heroes Challenge: Unleash Your Afrofuturist Superhero! 🌟

Are you ready to envision the next iconic superhero? Dive into African mythologies and futuristic vistas to create a hero who embodies both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge innovation. Your creation should inspire, resonate, and captivate—shining as a beacon of hope or a warrior of change in a futuristic society.

Challenge Details: Craft an original superhero character drawing from African myths, set in a future where their powers are needed more than ever. Whether they harness digital sorcery, bio-engineered enhancements, or quantum stealth, make sure they stand out in the pantheon of heroes.

How to Enter:

Character Concept: Provide a name and detailed description of your hero, including physical appearance and costume, which should blend traditional African elements with futuristic flair.
Super Powers and Abilities: Describe the powers your hero possesses. Are they rooted in ancient lore but amplified by future tech? How do these powers work?
Origin Story: Tell us how your hero discovered or inherited their powers. What event or journey catalyzed their transformation into a superhero?
Impact on Society: Explain how your hero uses their powers to impact their world. Are they a protector, a revolutionary leader, or a symbol of unity?
Visual Representation (optional but encouraged): Submit an original digital artwork of your hero in action or posing heroically.

Judging Criteria:

Creativity and Originality: How unique and innovative is your superhero?
Integration of Mythology and Futurism: How effectively do you combine African mythology with futuristic elements?
Depth of Characterization: How well-developed and complex is the character?
Artistic Presentation (if applicable): How visually engaging and professional is the artwork?

Prizes:

🥇 First Place: Your character will be featured in an upcoming story in our newsletter, plus receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
🥈 Second Place: Your character will be featured in our newsletter and receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
🥉 Third Place: Your character will be mentioned in our newsletter and receive a $10 Amazon gift card.

Submit Your Creation: Email your hero's description and any optional sketches to Marksmanstudios1@gmail.com. Please format your entry with your contact details and the title "Tomorrow’s Heroes Challenge!".

Submission Deadline: Be sure to submit your submissions by 3rd February 2025.

A younger version of me would have tried to answer those questions with to-do lists and perfectly engineered systems, chasing the illusion that more structure equals more control. To a degree, that is correct, but you have to find that balance because a beautiful, chaotic life doesn’t bend to our systems. It interrupts. It reconfigures. It demands we adapt.
Live deliberately.

The harder you try to control life, the more it slips through your fingers. Real productivity isn’t about squeezing the most out of every second; it’s about using those seconds wisely.

I no longer aim to optimize every moment or stack my days with tasks. Instead, I commit to three things: writing, gaining knowledge, and nurturing relationships. These are my compass points, and every choice I make—big or small—is in service to them. I let it go if it doesn’t feed my craft, sharpen my mind, or deepen my connections.

The shift didn’t come from productivity books or self-help seminars. It came from the ever-present music I grew up with - Reggae.

It’s my constant companion and a rhythmical call to be, instantly shifting my perspective.

It reminds me to slow down to move forward. Grinding without the grind means rejecting the culture of constant motion. Instead of filling my calendar, I create rituals that ground me. A morning walk isn’t just exercise; it’s a meditation. Writing isn’t just work; it’s the act of shaping chaos into clarity. A conversation with a loved one isn’t a distraction; it’s the point. Ryan Holiday’s, "The Obstacle Is the Way" reinforces this idea. Resistance isn’t something to eliminate—it’s something to embrace. Life will challenge you. It will throw roadblocks in your path.

Use them.

I still work hard, but my effort is deliberate, not desperate. I’ve traded urgency for intention. The grind used to feel like running on a treadmill; now, it feels like sculpting marble. Every day, I carve away what doesn’t matter, revealing something more accurate beneath.

This approach won’t make you rich in the way the world defines wealth. It won’t win you awards for productivity or efficiency. But it will give you something far truer: a life that feels alive.

As I write this, the world outside my window hums with quiet motion. The trees are bare, the squirrels are fussing, and it’s freezing cold outside. The sun arcs slowly across the sky. Nothing is in a rush, yet everything gets done. Nature operates on its own time, and so can we.

What I did yesterday doesn’t matter. Tomorrow is a story I haven’t written yet. All I have is this moment. And now, I’m writing to you, hoping you’ll see what I’ve come to believe: your life is already wild and precious. You don’t need to optimize it. You don’t need to fix it. You need to live it.

Let go of the grind. Embrace the resistance. Ask yourself every morning what you plan to do with this one precious life. Then go do it—not because you must, but because you can. That’s where meaning lives. That’s where life begins.

Peace, love and power.