Yet
Daily Chase #122
When someone gives you feedback, what’s your first reaction?
For some, it’s an immediate defense - a feeling that their competence is being questioned. For others, it’s curiosity - a door opening to something they hadn’t yet discovered about themselves.
The difference between these two responses isn’t about talent or intelligence. It’s about whether you believe your abilities are fixed or malleable.
People with fixed mindsets see feedback as a judgment on who they are right now. When a coach corrects their movement or a colleague suggests a different approach, they hear: “You’re not good enough.” The praise they crave focuses on innate traits - you’re so smart, you’re so talented, you’re so strong.
People with growth mindsets see the same feedback as information about who they might still become. They hear: “Here’s how you get better.” The recognition they value centers on effort - I can see how hard you worked, you really stayed with that, you kept pushing through.
The shift from one to the other often starts with a single word: yet.
“I’m not good at that” becomes “I’m not good at that yet.”
“I can’t do this” becomes “I can’t do this yet.”
That three-letter word transforms a dead end into a path forward. It acknowledges where you are while pointing toward where you’re headed.
We can’t always control our initial reaction to feedback - that flash of defensiveness or doubt. But we can control what we do next. We can pause, recognize the feeling, and choose to ask a better question: What can I learn from this?
The most significant growth happens not when we defend who we are, but when we get curious about who we’re becoming.
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