— Benjamin Franklin
Thoughts on Today's Quote
We all love to romanticize the future, right? Tomorrow feels like this magical land where we’ll suddenly become our best selves. “I’ll get fit tomorrow, I’ll start that project tomorrow, tomorrow me is gonna be a rockstar.” The problem? Tomorrow’s always a day away. Meanwhile, today is like a bored toddler pulling at your pant leg, screaming, “PAY ATTENTION TO ME.”
And Franklin’s basically saying, yeah, listen to that toddler. Because if you keep bargaining with your future, you’ll end up with a collection of “tomorrows” that never quite add up to anything. The present is the only place where things actually happen—messy, imperfect things, sure, but real ones.
Then there’s that second part—”what I am to be, I am now becoming.” It’s a bit of a reality check, isn’t it? Like, all those tiny decisions you make today? That’s what’s shaping future-you. You’re not waiting for some magical transformation where you wake up and, ta-da! You’re a new person. Nope. You’re already becoming who you’ll be. And if today’s you is binge-watching Netflix and living on cereal, well… guess what tomorrow’s you is going to look like?
So maybe Franklin’s point is this: Stop fantasizing about some ideal future where you’ve got everything together. Be the rockstar now—or at least, start tuning your guitar. And if today’s a bit of a train wreck, that’s fine. Wrecks are still moving forward.
The Challenge
Pick one thing you’ve been putting off for “tomorrow” and do it today—no excuses.
Maybe it’s something simple like starting that workout routine, finishing a task you’ve been dreading, or finally calling that friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Whatever it is, you’ve got 24 hours to stop planning and start becoming.
The key here is to focus on action, not perfection. You’re not trying to knock it out of the park, you’re just starting. The moment you take that first step today, you’re proving to yourself that today is worth more than two tomorrows.
Today's Quote Illustrated
