How much change do you expect people to make?

All at once?

Unlikely. No one is filled drinking water from a fire hose.

The kind of change that usually sticks is small and incremental. Day in and day out. Drip by drip.

Change makers on occasion need to be reminded to lower our expectations. I’m not talking about lowering the bar. No, our job is to help people to see, to break through false limits, to elevate and leap, to help someone change their mind, to help someone do something they never thought they could do.

Sometimes though, we confuse hope with expectations. Fill your heart with hope. Hope is what drives us to a better world. But don’t expect people to care as much as you do. Don’t expect people to follow reason (no matter how much evidence you present). These types of expectations can lead to disappointment. Disappointment derails the work.

Change is a process, not a destination.