Yet – The Little Word That Could (Choo! Choo!)

I’ve had a love affair with words since I was old enough to read. Like Alice in Wonderland who falls down the rabbit hole. Lost in the characters and lost in time.

I read “Gone With the Wind” when I was 13 and expected to see Rhett Butler, hat in hand with that killer smile, standing at the bottom of my stairs too.

Atticus Finch would become my definition of courage and justice in “To Kill A Mocking Bird”.

I cried when I read “Jane Eyre” because I was in my 30’s and wondered how such exquisite language had escaped me for all those years.

Words transform our lives.

Such was the effect when I read “Kitchen Table Wisdom” by Rachel Remen, M.D. It’s a collection of stories about herself and her clients who faced life-threatening illness with courage, strength and wisdom. Definitely add this book to your bucket list!

In one of her stories she highlights the word “YET”. She writes:

“Each of us is unfinished, a work in progress. Perhaps it would be most accurate to add the word “YET” to all of our assessments of ourselves and each other. John has not learned compassion … yet. I have not developed courage … yet. It changes everything.”

YET. A small BIG word. When I use it now (which is often) I think of the little engine that could. It was small but strong. Forward moving and optimistic, repeating “I think I can, I think I can”, as it puffed over the tall, steep mountain, pulling a long train of cars.

Adding YET to how we see ourselves and others removes judgement and opens the dialogue for what’s possible. 

As a coach I get to support people in all stages of growth. I’m privileged to see each person in their process. Unfinished. Messy. Triumphant.

It’s not about knowing how the story ends. It’s about trusting the process.

The little engine had never pulled a long train of cars over a tall, steep mountain …. yet. But it knew it had all it needed to succeed and believed in what was possible. You can too.

What are some of your favorite books, characters, and words (keep it “G” rated girls and guys)? What have you read that shaped how you think? Join me in the conversation below.

Not where you want to be … yet? Facing obstacles that loom in your life like that tall, scary mountain? Schedule a free Discovery Session and let’s start your engine!

Till next month,

xo Jane