Your history teacher lied to you. No, I'm not talking about the fib we all got fed about how everyone except Columbus thought the world was flat and that's why he discovered America. I'm talking about the necessary distortion one faces when learning about history...time. Most history courses attempt to pack centuries into roughly 180 1 hour periods. Even your most detailed college class might attempt to smash an action packed decade into maybe a little more than 2 days of real time. And all this squishery has given us the wrong idea about our lives.
We somehow got this idea, from history, TV, movies, whatever, that all our greatest moments and triumphs would arise after one frantic, heroic burst of effort, and when we discover that life doesn't always work that way, we get discouraged. Think about how long a minute is to someone waiting for an ambulance. Think about how long an hour is to someone giving birth. Now think about how long a year is. WWII reshaped the entire world and took 6 years. All those days, hours, and minutes that were each important moments made up an epic struggle that spanned the world.
Not all of your conflicts will be resolved in 2 hours. Not all of your conflicts will be resolved to your satisfaction after one gut wrenching moment or speech. In fact, most won't. You can make your epic push, and most times, very little has changed. Most battles are won by inches, by minutes, little by little. You must gain ground slowly sometimes, patiently, and not be discouraged by how long it's taking. You can win by degrees, you can win over time, and it will be even sweeter than those victories earned quickly.
