Monday, March 30, 2009

The use of the word "yet"

I'm still reaping the benefits of Naomi Remen's Kitchen Table Wisdom. There is a great little story about the use of the word "yet". Basically, if you don't know something, or aren't able to do something, most people say things like:

I'm not very good at swimming.
I'm not a doctor.
I don't speak Spanish.
I can't high jump 6 feet.

look at the difference in attitude and framing with the addition of the word "yet" at the end of these 3 sentences:

I'm not very good at swimming yet.
I'm not a doctor yet.
I don't speak Spanish yet.
I can't high jump 6 feet yet.

Yet implies possibility, improvement, and feasibility. I think that Yet is quickly turning into my most favorite 3 letter word ever. For the growth mindset, yet is the perfect word. If you catch me dropping my "yets" off my sentences, please hold me to it!

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