I’ve not been so into research lately, but in a late-night deep dive, I discovered something.
When you plant the seed of a Chinese bamboo tree, you have to water it every single day, even when it seems like nothing is happening.
For five long years, there’s no sign of growth above the soil.
Imagine how discouraging that must feel—showing up every day, putting in the work, and seeing no results.
But then, something incredible happens.
In the fifth year, almost overnight, the bamboo tree shoots up to a staggering 90 feet tall in just a few weeks.
What took so long?
Well, during those years of “nothing,” the tree was quietly growing a massive root system underground—a foundation strong enough to support its rapid growth.
I’m not much of a gardener, in fact, I know little to nothing about this, and if I were the farmer who planted the tree, I would have given up— or so I thought.
Even though I haven’t been growing an actual tree, the Chinese bamboo tree has been my life.
As long as I can remember, my weight has been a hot topic, starting all the way back in primary school.
Over the years, I started cycles of trying, stopping, and starting again, each time labeling myself a failure and moving on.
But I didn’t realize that those “failures” were quietly building my foundation—just like the bamboo tree.
Here’s how my journey unfolded:
In 2017 I wanted to lose weight and discovered purging and after plenty of failed attempts, I discovered I was leading myself into developing bulimia and I stopped.
In 2018, I moved to body dysmorphia 2.0, I stopped taking pictures and had no concept of how I looked, I just assumed the worst when in hindsight, it wasn’t so bad.
In 2019, I gave weight loss another shot, I attempted intuitive eating and writing down all I’ve eaten, but I knew little to nothing about food so it was a fail.
In 2020 I tried again. I got the confidence to work out in front of my family and friends, and got rid of the fear of being seen “trying”. I fell in love with skipping and lost weight but after a while, I couldn’t keep up and went back to old habits.
In 2021 I accepted that I was a mid-sized girl and tried to love myself the way I was. I researched ways to dress for my body type, listened to self-confidence podcasts, watched videos, and surrounded myself with positivity around weight. I also started my waist trainer journey, which ended up being unnecessary but hey! An attempt nonetheless.
In 2022, I was in an out of self-love and body dysmorphia, I didn’t care about the weight on most days, and on other days, it was all I could think about. But the majority of the time, I was good until I graduated uni and gained a lot of extra weight.
In 2023, I discovered walking, I walked a lot and increased my steps but I wasn’t doing any extra thing aside from that, so there wasn’t any significant weight change, mostly increased stamina from my extended walks. Late 2023, I discovered portion control and calorie deficit and went into a deep dive on it, bought a food scale, smaller plates, and measuring cups, then saved everything until 2024
In 2024, on a random day in May, I restarted my fitness journey with more information, gathering all my failed and successful attempts together, analyzing them, creating a routine, and incorporating all the new information I had researched and learned.
I saw a massive difference— I lost the weight.
So you see, all those years of “failure” were quietly preparing me for success. Just like the bamboo tree, I was growing my roots.
But my fitness journey wasn’t the only area where this lesson applied.
In 2019/2020, I decided to pursue my teenage dream of becoming a YouTuber and content creator. I even changed my username to Phases of Morah, ready to document the different phases of my life.
But I didn’t start posting until November 2024.
In the meantime, I:
Upgraded my gadgets.
Used my business to overcome camera shyness.
Became a digital marketer and social media manager, recording content for brands.
Discovered lighting and camera angles.
Unknowingly, I was building the foundation for the creator I’ve always wanted to be.
Now, think about your own journey.
Maybe you’re putting in the work, but the results feel slow—or even nonexistent. It’s easy to wonder if it’s worth it, to feel like you’re stuck. But just like the bamboo tree, progress doesn’t always show up immediately. That doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Your efforts are building a foundation, strengthening you for the moment when everything clicks, and you experience exponential growth.
It’s the end of the year and the infamous time when we all start analyzing our achievements. So, I’m encouraging you to keep watering your dream.
Keep nurturing your goals.
Slow progress is still progress, and when the time comes, your success will shoot up faster and higher than you ever imagined.
Trust the process.
Your bamboo moment is coming.
What About You?
What’s your bamboo moment? What roots are you growing today? I’d love to hear from you.
Happy New Year’s Eve, Eve!
How’s your preparation for the new year going?
This letter was too heavy to send on the day of Jesus’s birth, so I felt it’ll resonate much better today.
I hope the words resonated with you as much as it did me.
I can’t wait to see all you accomplish in 2025!!
Thank you for the reminder and encouragement. This applies to other aspects of my life as well. Thank you again.