"ما همیشه تغییری که طی دو سال آینده رخ خواهد داد را بیش از حد تصور می‌کنیم و تغییری که طی ده سال آینده اتفاق خواهد افتاد را دست کم می‌گیریم. اجازه ندهید خودتان را به بی‌عملی بسپارید."

The heart of this quote is about our tendency to misjudge the pace of change. We often expect too much to happen too quickly, but fail to see how much can actually change over a longer period. This can lead to a dangerous inertia where we do nothing because we’re waiting for big changes that seem to never come—or we’re just not ready for the long-term, gradual shifts that end up transforming everything. This idea is a powerful reminder to take action now and keep an eye on the long game.

To understand why this was said, let's go back to the tech world in the late '90s and early 2000s. Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, shared this insight in his 1996 book "The Road Ahead." He observed how people were hyping up the immediate impact of new technologies, but not many were thinking about how these technologies would quietly revolutionize our daily lives over a decade or more. Think about the early days of the internet—back then, few could have predicted how it would reshape everything from shopping to socializing within a couple of decades.

Let’s bring this idea to life with a real-world example. Imagine the introduction of smartphones around 2007. Initially, many people saw them as just fancy gadgets. Sure, they’d change how we made calls or sent texts, but that was pretty much it. Fast forward ten years, and smartphones have become central to how we navigate the world. They’ve turned into everything from our primary camera to our personal assistant, and they’ve revolutionized entire industries like photography, transportation, and even healthcare.

So, how can you apply this wisdom in your own life? The trick is to avoid getting caught up in the hype of instant success. Instead, think about what small steps you can take today that will pay off in the long run. Let’s say you’re learning a new skill, like coding. It might seem overwhelming at first, and you might not see big changes in the first year or two. But if you keep at it, a decade down the line, you could find yourself in a completely different career or creating something innovative that changes lives.

Picture this: you’re at a coffee shop with a friend, and they’re frustrated because their new business hasn’t taken off as quickly as they hoped. Remind them of the long game. Tell them about the smartphone example. Share how you, too, felt the same way about coding. But with time and persistence, amazing progress can happen. Encourage them not to be disheartened by the slow early days. The seeds they’re planting now will grow into something substantial and significant if they keep nurturing them.

In the end, it’s all about patience and persistence. We tend to overestimate the short-term and underestimate the long-term. So, let’s take a deep breath, make that first move, and keep our eyes on the horizon. Change is coming, maybe not as quickly as we want, but it will be bigger and more impactful than we ever imagined.