The Beauty of the Build-Up
I used to think that having no vision was the hardest thing. It felt like floating through space, weightless, with no place to land and no goals to reach. I searched for meaning in everything: in the world around me, and in the world within me. In hindsight, I think I was simply searching for peace—a peace I believed I’d find through purpose. But life has a strange way of surprising us. And so, perhaps not so unexpectedly, that calm and peaceful feeling never truly came.
When I finally began to discover a sense of self and purpose, I expected relief. Instead, I was met with a whole new wave of struggles. One of the biggest? A constant feeling of restlessness. The greater my goals became, the smaller I began to feel. Even though I was closer than ever to the oasis of my dreams, somehow, I had never felt further away. I blame a large part of this on the culture of instant gratification and dopamine addiction we now live in. Everything is at our fingertips. Nothing is out of reach anymore. The line between us and the people we admire has all but disappeared. We have more resources than any generation before us, yet we’re unhappier than ever. Why? Because our ancestors had something we’re slowly losing: patience.
I remember being little and wanting to watch a specific movie. To do that, we had to go to the video rental store. We’d pick out the film, then buy snacks in excited anticipation of movie night. It took effort, time and waiting—and somehow, that made it all the more special. Even though my parents and grandparents had it harder, that process taught us to look forward to things. Now, I open my laptop or phone, and the movie starts instantly. That’s just one of thousands of examples that define the world we live in today. A world where convenience has become so common, it no longer feels like a luxury. And while I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do, see, hear, eat or buy almost anything I want almost instantly, I’ve also noticed that everything loses its shine a little quicker than before. Without the time and energy it used to take to get things, the result doesn’t feel as satisfying. Almost nothing feels special anymore. We’re left chasing the next thing—faster, and in greater quantities—trying to fill a void that only seems to grow.
This brings me back to my dreams and goals. I now understand why I often feel a constant sense of hopelessness and restlessness. Every day I don’t achieve what I dream of feels like a wasted day. Even when I take steps that bring me closer, the lack of immediate results can leave me feeling inadequate, like all my effort is in vain.
“Patience is key,” they say. And frustratingly, they’re right.
It’s frustrating because I may be one of the most impatient people to ever walk this earth. Which, perhaps, is exactly why I was given dreams as big as mine—dreams that can’t be reached in a single day. Because when that day finally comes, I’ll be able to enjoy it with every fiber of my being. Just like a homemade, slow-cooked meal tastes infinitely better than a quick takeaway. It’s built with time, energy, love and intention. That’s what makes it special. Imagine a movie where the main character gets everything they want in the first five minutes. I’d grab my phone before the opening credits even ended. What’s the point of watching if we skip the entire build-up—the part that makes the ending meaningful?
By rushing life, by chasing instant gratification, we’re essentially trying to fast-forward through our own movie, skipping all the scenes that matter most. No wonder we’re left feeling empty. The journey is the story. It’s the place where patience is tested, resilience is built, and triumph is earned. It’s where we walk through our deepest valleys, so that when we finally reach the mountaintop, it means something. So let’s try to enjoy the process, every single day. Because why not? Time will pass anyway.
In fact, time is nothing more than an illusion. The past and the future are merely stories and predictions. Only today truly exists. That also means that everything we dream of is already unfolding in this very moment. There is nothing to be impatient for. We don’t need to fast-forward to the end of the movie just to know that it all works out. We will see a happy ending—not necessarily the one we planned, but a meaningful ending nonetheless. And it’s already been written, already filmed. All that’s left is for us to live it, scene by scene, one moment at a time.
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