“What a wonderful thought 
it is that some of the best 
days of our lives haven’t 
even happened yet.”
Anne Frank

Yet is a tiny, but powerful word. It has the ability to convert negativity into positivity. How so, you might ask? Here are a few examples:

The researcher who tells a colleague, “I don’t get it” can add the simple word “yet” to the end of the statement to indicate that there is hope for the future. “I don’t get it… yet.”

The employee who turns to her supervisor in frustration and complains, “I can’t do this” would be better off including the word “yet” at the end of her sentence, reflecting the expectation that it’s just a matter of time. “I can’t do this… yet.”

The child who, out of frustration, hopelessly blurts out to a parent, “I’m not good at this” could project a much more positive attitude by simply adding the word “yet” to the comment. “I’m not good at this yet…, but I will be if I continue to practice and don’t give up.”

Even teachers can project a negative attitude when confronted with a challenging question by an inquisitive student. “I don’t know” indicates to the student that the teacher doesn’t care. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out and let you know” exudes positivity.

Anyone who has ever purchased furniture from IKEA might have reached the point, while attempting to put an item together at home, where he cried out, “This doesn’t work!” Perhaps, a good, close look at the directions (you know, that little packet of information contained in the package which most men ignore, because we think we don’t need it) could result in the person saying, “This doesn’t work yet, but it will when I have a better idea of what I’m doing.”

I recall, quite vividly, sitting in my third grade math class at Saint Gabriel School in San Francisco and complaining, “I don’t understand this” while practicing subtraction problems which involved borrowing. Fortunately, my teacher, Sister Mary Roberta, understood the power of the word “yet.” She invited me to meet with her in the visitors’ parlor in the convent after school where she worked with me on subtraction problems until I mastered the skill.

There are times in our lives when we want something that we cannot have at that particular time. We can shut down and give up on the possibility of ever attaining that which we desire, or we can add the word “yet” and see the possibilities in pursuing our dream. “I can’t have it yet, but…”

Maintaining a positive attitude is not always easy, but it’s always possible.