One Word That Can Shift Your Perspective

Recently, I attended parent-teacher meetings at my son’s middle school.

If you have children in school, you already know the drill. You have a few minutes to sit down with each of your child’s teachers to see how he/she is doing and get the story behind the marks.

And naturally, one of the teachers my husband and I met with was my son’s math teacher.

Math was never my favourite subject in school. And although I’ve tried hard to not pass my “math anxiety” onto my children, I’m not so sure I’ve succeeded.

In my experience, math is a subject area that can cause intimidation and frustration like no other.

Which makes me wonder how any math teacher can create a learning environment that’s not filled with anxiety.

But then the math teacher shared one of the practices she’s instituted in her classroom.

She insists that students append the word “yet” to any proclamations of doubt or frustration.

As in:

“I can’t do this—yet.”

“I don’t understand this—yet.”

“I’m not good at math—yet.”

The Power of “Yet”

Using “yet” is a powerful way to shift your perspective.

It doesn’t deny the feelings behind expressions of doubt and worry. But it does challenge the notion that these feelings are permanent.

Things change. Problems that seem impossible to overcome today may look very different tomorrow, next week, next month or next year.

I believe that “yet” is a valuable device not just for middle school students, but also for business professionals.

So when you’re experiencing fear or frustration as a small business owner or marketing manager, try shifting your perspective with “yet.”

As in:

“I’m not good at public speaking—yet.”

“I don’t feel comfortable at networking events—yet.”

“I don’t know how to do this—yet.”

“I can’t make this work—yet.”

And see if it shifts your perspective.