The Power Of 'Yet'

There’s one word that transforms despair into hope, failure into opportunity, and disappointment into a second chance. That word is - “Yet”.

I don’t know how to do that… Yet.

I haven’t even closed a sale… Yet.

I’m not really that good at this… Yet.

I don’t belong somewhere like that… Yet.

Adding the word ‘yet’ completely shifts the tone of any expression of disappointment so that it ends with a hint of optimism.

And that’s the truth, isn’t it? Nothing in life is completely finite. As long as you’re still alive and in it, you can create a new result. You can keep working toward something to acquire the skills, network, strategies, or resources required to make something happen.

‘Yet’ is the gold standard of a growth mindset. It suggests that your current reality isn’t fixed, and that it can evolve and grow into something else. It also urges you to be resilient as it encourages you to try again in an effort to reach your goals.

And last, it also places your current self in your future vision. ‘Yet’ suggests that there’s a ‘you’ that’s yet to be, a person that you’re crafting from every decision you make, and that all of the deposits you place now will come into play in the future.

Would you want your best future self to give up when things get hard, quit at the first sign of resistance, and respond to life with complacency rather than ambition? I doubt it. And your best future self wouldn’t want that for present you, either.

I want to partner with the world’s most influential people to solve the world’s biggest problems. And I’m not doing that to the extent that I want to… Yet!

I know that in every person I meet, every idea I share, and every moment of service I step into, I’m putting puzzle pieces together that help move me one step closer to that future vision.

That’s how I’m using the power of ‘yet’, and I have a feeling we’ve only just begun!