The hard part is taking the first step… or in this case, writing the first paragraph.
On my way home from yet another workout at the gym, I found myself thinking about various things… and trying to organize some ideas. I was also trying, as I usually do, to find a common thread so I could write a post to publish on Hive.
It’s the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the year. Officially, we’ve already passed the “longest” day of the year. And summer is here to stay. At least for a little while longer. Tomorrow, even though temperatures will remain high for this time of year, thunderstorms are forecast.
But speaking of having already passed the summer solstice, life is sometimes like that too. We don’t really realize when the days of our lives start to become shorter, less colorful, and not quite as fantastic. But is that really the case?
As I approach my forty-eighth orbit around the Sun, am I also approaching the longest day? It seems to me that I must surely have already passed the brightest day of my life. At least in terms of vitality. But how should we look at the days we still have to live? Is it really that important to have a timeline of how many years, months, days, hours, or minutes we’ve been here… existed, or done something?
Perhaps it’s not just important—it’s essential. Not so that we look at the days we may still have to live with longing for those that have already passed, but with a desire to live them. We know that pain will likely arise, along with the difficulties and scares we encounter along the way. But that shouldn’t paralyze us or make us curse our condition.
I think that looking back on our lives—as if they were just a few days of that fantastic hot summer, when we remember watching that amazing soccer match featuring our national team—is something we’ll never forget.
I still remember, as if it had happened yesterday, the match Portugal played against Greece in the final of the European Soccer Championship, which was held right here in Portugal at the stadium that holds the most sentimental value for me: Estádio da Luz—home to the greatest and most celebrated Portuguese club, with an enviable record of national and international achievements.
But just like my club, which—despite its past moments of glory—hasn’t managed to win major trophies, competitions, or championships lately, life is the same way.
Sometimes we feel like we’re on top of the world; other times, we doubt everything and everyone—starting with ourselves.
Just a few days ago, I heard many people criticizing one of the best-known and most internationally recognized Portuguese players the country has ever had. I’m talking about Cristiano Ronaldo. Criticism poured in from all sides. People questioned his physical abilities—such as his acceleration and explosive power—which, at 41, are no longer what they used to be. But does that really leave a mark, or pose any obstacle to reaching new and even greater heights?
Just yesterday, in the second match of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup—and coming off a draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo that came as a shock to everyone—we defeated Uzbekistan 5–0.
The previously criticized and more-than-veteran player said it all in just a few words: “I knew I’d be back.” This overwhelming self-confidence is something I’ll never be able to aspire to.
It’s not easy to look at our work and our abilities and see that we can still surprise people and make history.
That confidence in the process isn’t “accessible” to mere mortals… The doubts we all have are, more often than not, the psychological barrier that prevents us from surpassing ourselves, even after we’ve already passed our own summer solstice.
Image by qian xie from Pixabay
Original text written by 
