Gradual change
Gradation is slow, steady and subtle.
It's easy to get discouraged when you don't see results immediately, especially in a world where we're used to instant gratification. TikTok, Netflix and 24-hour news is constantly giving us information in bite-sized bursts.
Who is responsible for the invention of TikTok, Netflix and 24-hour news?
Zhang Yiming, Reed Hastings, Marc Randolph and Ted Turner might come to mind. They certainly couldn't have accomplished what they did without Ben Franklin, Edison, Tesla, Bell, Meucci, John Baird, Frank Canova, Jony Ive and countless others.
We build on work that comes before us. Small, consistent change over time can lead to a big change. Big change may feel abrupt when it's first noticed, but it always comes from many smaller factors.
No great orator gave a famous speech without previously speaking, writing and humiliating themselves in front of people again and again. Slow and steady and subtle change is a good path to adaptability, patience and creativity.