The BUILDING UP Phase

There is something about the building-up phase that is uniquely electric. It is the chapter in life when the fog lifts to reveal a certain clarity about what one needs to do. One can almost see the shape of the future that they are working toward. However, knowing what one needs to do and taking steps toward it are very different things. It is a time of sweat and toil.
I find myself in the building-up phase most during the hours past midnight. As the world sleeps, my desk glows with a hundred tasks on the screen. There are times where I feel like I am not making any progress. A bug in a project or the looming exam can feel like impossible odds to overcome. It is in these moments of doubt that I look to the coffee mug beside me. It is a reminder that amid the
sleepless nights that humanity and gentleness can persist.

There is an awful lot of unseen work that goes into building up one's life. It is the grinding part that no one cheers for. It is staring at a laptop after a long day wishing that one could rewrite the previous attempt. It is also a lesson in emotional resilience. Learning how to soothe the voice that says one is not doing enough.

"Building up the life that you want is not easy but it is an exercise in perseverance."

The building up is also a lesson in perspective. It is thinking of one's parents who quietly prop up their children. They allow one to have the audacity to attempt what one does. They give the confidence to sweat and toil because they know how much it is needed to build a fulfilling life. That is the kind of love that one needs during the building-up phase.

The building up is where one's character is tested. It is a lesson in how to be gentle with oneself in a harsh world. It is about keeping the heart beating steadily in a world that demands one's utmost effort without pause. It is the building up phase that teaches people to keep faith in their abilities and to be resilient in the face of obstacles.

It teaches people to keep the rituals that help them get through the day. It reminds one of the grace and humanity they need to persist. One is not just building a project, career, or education. They are building themselves while constructing whatever it is that one wants to achieve. Sitting in the stillness of the night, one is aware that everything that they are sacrificing is a testament to the life that they are building.