Have you ever sat at your desk, looked at a math problem, a coding challenge, or a difficult essay and felt like you hit a brick wall? Your brain says, “I can’t do this. I’m just not good at this.”
That wall feels very real to every student. But today, I want to give you a three-letter sledgehammer to break that wall down. That word is YET.
It is a word that shifts your thinking from giving up to giving more effort. It is a word that defines your Mindset.
Understanding Your Internal Lens
Your mindset is the hammer needed to break down the obstacles standing between you and your potential. It is the “internal lens” through which you see every challenge. Generally, there are two ways to view your own talent:
- Fixed Mindset: Believing your intelligence and talents are “carved in stone.” You think you are born with a set amount of skill, and that’s it.
- Growth Mindset: Believing your abilities can be developed through effort. You see your brain as a muscle that gets stronger the more you work it.
The 4 Key Differences: Which One Are You Using?
To understand which mindset you are currently operating in, look at how you handle these four areas:
- Challenges: A Fixed Mindset avoids challenges to stay safe; a Growth Mindset embraces them as a chance to “level up.”
- Obstacles: A Fixed Mindset gives up easily; a Growth Mindset persists and finds a new way around the problem.
- Effort: A Fixed Mindset sees effort as useless (“If I were smart, it would be easy”); a Growth Mindset sees effort as the pathway to mastery.
- Mistakes: A Fixed Mindset feels threatened by errors; a Growth Mindset sees mistakes as valuable feedback.
The Story: The Lightbulb and the 1,000 “Failures”
Think about Thomas Edison. He tried 1,000 times to create the lightbulb before he got it right. When asked how it felt to fail 1,000 times, he famously replied:
“I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Edison understood the power of Yet. He wasn’t a failure; he just hadn’t succeeded yet.
Words of Wisdom to Carry With You
As you navigate your studies, keep these perspectives in mind:
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent van Gogh
“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” — Helen Hayes
The Call to Action: The “Yet” Challenge
As you head to your next class or tackle your next project, I have a challenge for you:
- Catch the “I Can’t”: The moment you hear yourself or a friend say “I can’t do this,” stop right there.
- Add the Magic Word: Force yourself to say, “I can’t do this… YET.”
- Ask for the Tool: Don’t sit in silence. Ask, “What is the next step I need to take so I can do this?”
Remember, your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be spectacular. Some of the most successful people in Lagos—and the world—started exactly where you are: believing in the power of Yet.
Go out there and grow your brilliance today.
For more daily inspiration and learning resources, visit SkillsandCareerPaths.com.