Use the Word “YET” to Transform Your Life

YET.

I love the way this word sounds. It’s so powerful and inspiring.

In fact, it has become one of my favorite words.

What? That’s weird.

Just stay with me for a minute. 

I know it’s not fancy or eloquent. It doesn’t roll off your tongue or even sound particularly pretty. And when you look at it written down or typed out on a screen, well… sure, I guess it’s not what one would call impressive.

And still…

It’s done wonders for me. Really.

And I know it can be powerful for you too.

Use the Word “YET” to Transform Your Life.

The word YET represents possibility.

Potential.

Hope.

Faith.

Yet means it’s not too late.

The deal isn’t done.

It isn’t over.

There is still time.

Not convinced? Here, let’s check out the following statements together:

He isn’t reading.

We don’t have a consistent bedtime routine.

I’m not good at math.

We don’t feel connected to any homeschool community.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I read these statements, the words seem pretty serious and stagnant. Consequently, I find myself feeling heavy and maybe even a tad hopeless. 

It all feels so…

Final.

But let’s see if we can flip the switch on all of this, OK?

Check this out:

He isn’t reading yet.

We don’t have a consistent bedtime routine yet.

I don’t feel connected to any homeschool community yet.

I’m not good at math yet.

Do you see what just happened? Once we add the word yet, the entire statement changes! Suddenly feelings of possibility, potential, hope, and faith surface.  When I read these statements, they seem lighter and freer. I feel hopeful and encouraged.

How about you? How do you feel when you read these words?

Clearly, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to exert some effort and do the work that adding yet requires. You still need to show up, put in the time, and make the necessary changes. But changing what we’re saying to ourselves is definitely a starting point.

He isn’t reading yet.

And so you continue to expose him to books in enjoyable ways. You remind yourself that reading doesn’t happen at the same age and stage for all children. If you have legitimate concerns that he has learning challenges, you find a specialist to consult with. But throughout all of this, you remind yourself that this is not a forever situation. The reading will come. It simply hasn’t happened yet.

We don’t have a consistent bedtime routine yet.

This is when you take a deep breath and decide on what you want your bedtime routine to look like. Is it realistic or are you trying to incorporate too many steps? After-dinner baths followed by brushing teeth? Then a bedtime story and snuggles? Estimate the amount of time this will take. What time do you actually want everyone to be in bed? I suggest you work backward from this time to find your ideal start time.

I know that establishing routines can feel tricky. So keep your routine as clear and simple as possible. Tweak steps and timing along the way. And remind yourself of our new favorite word… yet.

I don’t feel connected to any homeschool community yet.

I hate how absolute this one can feel. Homeschooling often requires a huge leap of faith and an authentic connection is so important. But this connection can often take a while to find. We have to be patient. (And patience is not really my strong suit, thank-you-very-much.) We must continue to stay open and put ourselves out there. (I know, YUCK!)

Keep chipping away at this, little by little. Baby steps. Because this will happen, it simply hasn’t happened yet.

I’m not good at math yet.

Look, I was honest to God, the queen of I’m not good at math. There was absolutely NO yet about it, and I would have rolled my eyes at you if you’d suggested I tack it on to the end of this sentence. Math was tricky, and confusing, and I always had and always would, struggle with it.

And yet… (See what I just did there!?!)

It has obviously been important for my children to receive a solid math education. While we now mostly outsource math, I was the primary math teacher in the elementary years. And while I white-knuckled it through many a lesson, I found myself appreciating and dare I say, enjoying math as I re-learned it alongside my kids. I was learning new strategies, repairing my unstable foundation, and understanding math in an entirely new way. This new understanding led to an appreciation and guess what? I no longer feel like I’m not good at math! Now I certainly don’t consider myself a math whiz, nor would I enthusiastically take a math quiz at the drop of a hat, but I find that I enjoy math and to me, that’s even better than feeling good at it.

My confidence has grown and I am no longer afraid.

Now if you threw I’m not good at calculus at me, it would no doubt, be tough for me to add yet to that statement. But you know what? I’d do it. Because I know that with hard work and dedication, I would eventually get to the point where I was good at it.

Then again, no thanks, I’d rather spend my energy getting good at something else.

So here is my challenge for you, should you choose to accept it. Pick a couple of things in your life that you can add the word yet to. Take this one little step and see how your mindset starts to shift, even if it’s ever so slightly.