Do you know what the most powerful word in the English lexicon is? No, it is not ‘Power’ or ‘Strength’ or even ‘The’ which Google has deemed to be the most powerful word. The most powerful and most hopeful word is ‘yet’. ‘Yet’ is your key to a growth mindset and to a better and brighter future! Want to know more?
As with every other word, the power of the word ‘yet’ comes from its usage. Adding ‘yet’ to your sentences turns the messages hopeful and still in the process of coming to complete fruition. This also helps the messages from sounding negative to others, hence, inculcating a hope that although something hasn’t happened ‘yet’, doesn’t mean that it will simply never happen. For example, “I don’t have a job” sounds much more negative and depressing while “I don’t have a job yet” sounds much more hopeful and optimistic. It is a simple change but the positive effects it has on you and others around you are innumerable. Changing your mindset begins with changing the choice of your words. The words you use, while speaking to yourself and other people, can really impact your world view and the more optimistic words or sentences you say, the more positive your world view will be.
The power of this little three-letter word is so huge that it has taken the coaching world by storm since American psychologist, Dr. Carol Dweck, delved into it with her book, ‘Mindset: The new psychology of Success’ published back in 2006 and her consequent TEDxTalk on ‘The Power of Yet’ in 2014. The main focus of both the book and the TED talk circle around the fact that the individuals (or organizations) with a predominantly growth-oriented mindset demonstrate a passion and a love for learning, growing and empowering that helps them develop and build resilience, eventually leading them to the success that they deserve and desire.
Whether you are a life coach, motivational speaker, manager, team leader or even a parent, you can utilize the power of the word ‘yet’ to empower you and the ones around you. ‘Yet’ is most utilized and is particularly potent in three situations - to encourage learning, to maintaining engagement and to increase confidence when dealing with people who seem to constantly put you down or work against you. Since growing, developing, and constantly thriving to be better are looked upon as highly desirable skills and values, the concept of weakness diminishes in comparison. Carol Dweck said in a conference, “weaknesses are defined as strengths you haven’t developed yet.” acknowledging that the current state is extremely important while also assuring and encouraging that there is hope out there and that we all are on a continuous quest towards a better future.
Here are some more sentences that you might use in your day-to-day life that is stopping your progress. Let’s see how it magically transforms with the power of ‘yet’
“I can’t do it” becomes “I can’t do it…yet”
“I’m not good at this” becomes “I’m not good at this… yet”
“I don’t get it” becomes “I don’t get it… yet”
“I don’t know” becomes “I don’t know… yet”
“This is not my area of expertise” becomes “This is not my area of expertise… yet”
“I don’t think I can handle this” becomes “I don’t think I can handle this… yet”
Those were just some sentences that can drastically change when we leverage the power of “yet”. Imagine what the word “yet” can do to your life if it can drastically change the meaning and intonation of a few sentences. Let’s take a bigger example of how using the word ‘yet’ will help you attain all your goals and visions.
Imagine you’ve started a business and you’re not getting everything that you expected from the business… be it money or customers or anything else. When your family, friends, and other close ones ask you how your business is going or if you’re closer to reaching your goals instead of telling them “The business is not going great” you can just say, “The business is not going great… yet. However, this is just the beginning and I’m sure that it will take off soon.” Just by saying this, you have reassured the ones that care about you while also providing hope and comfort to yourself. That is the power of ‘yet’.
By adding ‘yet’ to all your sentences, you’re maintaining belief that although it’s not there in the present, it will happen sometime in the future and that’s enough hope to eliminate fixed mindsets and develop a very strong growth mindset. Words hold power and we often don’t realize its power unless it’s too late. Not many people are where they want to be in life… yet but that’s okay because by transitioning from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and auditing their words and thoughts, they soon will be. The first step to your journey to success is changing the words that you use, so start with adding ‘yet’ to your vocabulary and leveraging the power of ‘yet’.
Comentarios