As I drove to the airport in the wee hours, I noticed that my trip started in darkness, and by the time I arrived, it was daylight. There was no magical moment when it appeared that someone flipped a switch; rather, the sunlight came through so slowly and gradually that I barely noticed until the transition was complete.
The same phenomenon is happening with my puppy, who is growing at slow and imperceptible increments, but somehow has filled out and stretched up. One day, I could pick her up, and now I can’t, but I don’t know when we crossed that threshold.
We have no control over many such gradual changes, but are able to manage other evolutionary transformations by taking actions that plant seeds towards the outcome we seek. Creating a culture is a slow, incremental process. Developing relationships evolves gradually over time. Building skills happens slowly, making it hard to pinpoint when someone moves from beginner to proficient. A regular drip into savings can seemingly suddenly amass a nest egg.
We live in an instant gratification culture where meals, packages, and entertainment can be delivered on demand, but things that truly matter accrue slowly over time. Have enough patience to wait out the gradual realization of your important goals.
