The Power of Yet

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At Back to School night recently, three different times I heard something that got me very excited for our kids … the power of "yet." Someone’s been dipping into the Mindset pool.

Teachers know a lot about grit. They know who has it and who doesn’t. The good ones know how to help kids build grit. The best ones never give up, because something amazing can happen … yet.

I heard Matt Paxton from ServiceMasters tell the story about his growing up, when his father would tell him that he can’t ever count on being the most handsome man in the room, nor the one with the most money, so he’d better figure out how to be the one who works the hardest. Well, Matt got the message, and he’s made a career of working very hard, helping other people overcome their self-made prisons of hoarding and unsafe homes. When he meets them, people who suffer from hoarding aren’t living a full life…yet.

Problem solving is perhaps the only skill that we can’t afford to NOT teach our children in the digital age. When I was a kid, I competed in the Future Problem Solvers of America. We formed groups from school who competed in structured brainstorming sessions to solve really big, important problems that our society might have to solve in the future. The competition proceeded up to state and national levels, much like a spelling bee competition. It was very exciting to be in middle school and realize that we kids might be just the people to solve something big! As a young person, it was eye-opening to learn that all the big things in the world hadn’t been figured out … yet.

You don’t have to attend Back to School night to be inspired. I’d encourage you to read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. She breaks down the concept of people with a “fixed” mindset versus those with a “growth” mindset. The growth mindset puts us in a position where we stay open to possibilities and options that might seems fruitless or dead ends to those with the fixed mindset. The growth mindset folks aren’t deterred by their problems. They just haven’t solved them … yet.

And then Dweck lets us off the hook a little, and concedes that most of us can have both a growth AND a fixed mindset. Which one takes over will depend on factors like our situation, environment and personal physical and emotional health. She explains how we can strive to see the world with more of a growth mindset every day. Your brain activity, and daily outlook, isn’t predetermined. It’s a choice. It’s a skill you can learn. It’s a habit you can build.

So if you are trying to get organized at home or work, maybe write yourself a Post-It note (yes, we have them in my office, too!), and tap into the power of YET.

Darla DeMorrow is a Certified Professional Organizer® from Wayne, PA. This post is adapted from her blog, Heartworkorg.com.

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