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Writer's pictureEmma Yentis

The impact of the word YET.


 

Ever thought about the word ‘yet’? 


A tiny 3 letter word with so much POWER!


Carol Dweck talks of the Power Of Yet.

 

Well, what happens when we add it to a limiting thought?

 

I can’t do it ➔ I can’t do it yet 

I don’t know how ➔ I don’t know how yet 

I’m not that fast ➔ I’m not that fast yet 

 

As a marathon runner, I think about my running journey and how many times I’ve used the word ‘yet’.

 

Living with two autoimmune diseases (Ulcerative Colitis & Arthritis) meant that running wasn’t always possible for me. I often thought, ‘I can’t run you must be joking! I can barely walk!’ 

 

Of course there can be physical restrictions that impact our abilities to move, but it’s incredible how much the mind plays a part too. 

 

So rather than saying ‘nope I’ll never be able to, I can’t’, I remember thinking to myself, one day I want to run a marathon & I will be able to, I just can’t yet.

 


As a running coach, I hear a lot of 'I can't run a marathon!' And guess what I say?


Yep, you've got it - No, I can't run a marathon YET. How much better does that sound?!


Of course you can't run a marathon yet - you haven't trained. But you will train and you will be able to.



As a teacher, on a daily basis I used to get, ‘Miss Yentis, I don’t know how to…’ and I would say, ‘no you don’t know how to YET’. What does that tell our students about work ethic? It tells them that there is already a possibility of achieving something, you just need to work at it.

 


Even as adults, we need reminding right? The word ‘yet’ can change our mindset on things. How often have we had those ‘I’ll never be able to’ or ‘I actually can’t’ thoughts? 

 

Let’s change the way we view things that are new, challenging or difficult to things we might not necessarily be able to do YET. Through a growth mindset we can start to see different possibilities and options for us. 

 

Is it always easy? Nope - not at all!


Unfortunately, we often have to do the things that are bloody hard and things we don’t want to do, if we want to achieve a goal.  


But how cool to be able to look back and say - WOW that was hard but hey look, I can do it! I did it!

 

This tiny 3 letter word can not only affect our own abilities to trying things but also the children and young people we work with.



So, you may not have used the word 'yet' yet, but that's okay! Try it :)




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