The Rungs of Ascent

It's common to assume that building alongside others is a mutual endeavour. When rooms are empty, besides those who believed from the start, it often feels like the few who stand in these rooms are planting seeds as a collective. The assumption is that recognition and mutual support naturally follow.

But Father Time is the great revealer.

During the ascent, patterns will emerge. When the masks start to fall, what was believed to be an unspoken camaraderie, reveals to be purely transactional. The claps in the empty room were never seen as support but rather a resource to be leveraged. It was never the relationship that was valued. It was the attention.

Ascent doesn't introduce new character traits, it sharpens the focus on ones that were hidden. On the climb, recognition tends to flow upwards. The few who cheered are now seen as obstacles that hold you back. Why? Maybe their progress is slower or maybe they've pivoted in a new direction. But it isn't about waiting for others to catch up. It's about keeping frame during the stages that test character.

Alliances are effortless when things are going well, and you either choose or you forget.

Who showed up when there was nothing to gain?

Who listened when the world ignored your voice?

 Was it a partnership or an extraction?

Only you know the truth.

Many will deny this and try to justify their behaviour with quotes and claims of authenticity. This is normal in a world of broken mirrors.

And the thing about authenticity that most people miss is: You don't have to say it.

You just turn up and offer the best version of yourself. 

The second you have to proclaim it and force consistency: it's a performance.

You are whatever room you stand in. You are whatever mood you're in. Don't worry about trying to be authentic...just be the best version you can be.

Today I may feel like speaking like a poet and tomorrow I'll talk like a Bro. Yesterday I wrote with eloquence, today I may write like a savage.

The version that shows up will be the best on the day.

But whoever shows up, try not to forget who turned up when there was nothing to gain, who listened when the world ignored and who clapped in the empty room.

The rungs on the ladder can break at any time. 

Keep the bridges or burn them.