I’m a lover of language and words and meaning, and I particularly adore the power just one word can have.
Today the word I want to rave about is ‘yet’.
I’ve used the word ‘yet’ quite strategically for a long time, but a song popped into my Spotify Daily Mix the other day called, “The Power of Yet” by C J Luckey. Listening to this song really cemented for me the power of this very small word.
So, let’s talk about the magic of YET.
You see, we often talk about what hasn’t been achieved or experienced in our life with a sense of conclusiveness or inevitability, as if that’s all that’s possible. And we don’t even realise we’re doing it. We say stuff like, “I haven’t seen that (movie) or read that (book)”. “I haven’t visited X place/person.” I don’t know what kind of job I want.” And it can often sound and feel like it’s never going to happen.
It’s easy to forget that we’re constantly in a process. Actually, a whole bunch of processes!
Living.
Learning.
Growing.
Discovering.
Becoming.
We might not be there YET but we are always moving forward and moving up. I like to picture personal growth as an upward gold spiral. Throughout our lifetime we are making our way around and up that spiral reaching more and more of our potential and becoming more of who we really are.
Our language and framing can trip us up, or it can keep us connected to these ongoing processes we are in – not to mention a healthy and encouraging sense of movement.
Feel the difference between the wording of these ‘frames’ –
- The business isn’t where I want it to be.
- I haven’t found a great relationship.
- I haven’t decided what kind of business I want to set up.
- They don’t know.
- I don’t understand it.
- I haven’t mastered it.
- We can’t decide what to do.
- I don’t really trust myself.
- It’s not the right time.
- It’s not working.
- I haven’t done it.
Versus –
- The business isn’t where I want it to be yet.
- I haven’t found a great relationship yet.
- I haven’t yet decided what kind of business I want to set up.
- I don’t know yet.
- They don’t understand it yet.
- I haven’t mastered it yet. (So much more empowering!)
- We can’t decide what to do yet.
- I don’t really trust myself yet.
- It’s not the right time yet.
- It’s not working. Yet.
- I haven’t done it. Yet.
There can be such a powerful energy shift with the smallest of tweaks.
Even just adding YET to “It’s not the right time YET” implies there’s going to be a right time and that feels SO MUCH BETTER.
A delicious shift with just one word!
Okay, rave over.
And if you fancy listening to The Power of Yet – here it is 😊
Karen x
P.S. Catch the related blog “The Power of Small Words: And vs. But”