IShowSpeed, a YouTube sensation who recently visited Malaysia, causing a frenzy wherever he went. For those unfamiliar with him, IShowSpeed—real name Darren Watkins Jr.—was just a regular American teenager recording himself playing video games a few years ago. He didn’t start off famous; in fact, his early days were far from glamorous. Yet, through persistence, his unique style, and his own way of “building” content, he has amassed millions of followers, becoming a household name in his niche.
You see, without fail, we are given 1,440 minutes every day. Whether you notice it or not, time arrives like clockwork. Tomorrow, it will come again—1,440 more minutes to spend as you choose. It’s a currency, though not one we often recognise, and because it doesn’t come with a dollar or RM sign attached, we sometimes let it slip by. But make no mistake, those minutes are just as valuable, if not more so. They are the raw material from which everything in your life can be built.
For today’s generation, where options are endless and distractions constant, I hope it’s clear: these minutes are meant for building. You have more potential at your fingertips than any generation before. What you choose to construct is entirely up to you. Your hobby, your passion, your career, your relationships—it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you build. And yes, that includes your body too. Physical strength and fitness are as much a part of the journey as anything else, and the time you invest in yourself will pay dividends in health, confidence, and resilience.
It’s no coincidence that in the Qur’an, Surah Al-Asr (103:1-3), Allah swears by time itself: “By time, indeed mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”
The message is clear: time is slipping through our fingers every moment. Most of us will waste it, but those who understand its value and use it to do good—both for themselves and others—are the ones who will prosper. It’s not just about setting aside time for worship or good deeds, but also about recognising that every moment carries weight. Each of those 1,440 minutes is a gift that should be spent wisely, building something meaningful in your life.
Apart from IShowSpeed, think about Khaby Lame too, the internet sensation who began his own “building” journey by making short, sarcastic videos on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic. No one knew where those minutes would take him, and certainly not Khaby himself. But with consistency, humor, and a touch of sarcasm, his simple videos became viral hits. He built something out of those 1,440 minutes, one video at a time. Now, he’s one of the most recognisable faces online. His rise is proof that you don’t need a grand master plan to start building. What matters is that you start, brick by brick.
Rumi the poet once said, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” The key is to follow that pull, whatever it may be for you. You may not see results today, or even tomorrow, but you are laying the foundation for something greater. The act of building—of creating something out of your time—turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
And when it feels like nothing is happening, remind yourself that every great creation started with small steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day, the proverb goes, or closer to home: “Sedikit sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit.” It’s the discipline, the daily act of showing up, that leads to success.
Keep building, and one day, you’ll look back and see that you’ve created something remarkable. Just like Darren and Khaby, who transformed those few spare minutes into a global phenomenon, you have the exact, same power.
So, what are you building today?
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Ir. Dr. Nahrizul Adib Kadri is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, and the Principal of Ibnu Sina Residential College, Universiti Malaya.
