by Randall CraigFiled in: Blogging, Make It Happen Tipsheet
I recently voted in the federal election – and as is usually the case, the voting was held in the gymnasium of the local school. Waiting my turn, there were the usual motivational posters, including one that proclaimed “Believe in the power of YET”. As in “I haven’t done it… yet.” “I don’t know the answer… yet.” “And I’m not good at it… yet.”
The technique is called Reframing. YET reframes a negative belief into one that opens the possibility to growth and mastery.
Another example of reframing is the “power of YEP” (or if you prefer, the power of YES.) Like YET, the reframing happens internally.
Consider when you are asked whether something is possible, and not having thought through it, your instinct is to start with the negative: “No, it cannot be done”. Or if you are faced with a criticism, your instinctive reaction is “No, that’s not correct”. In both cases, what would happen if the first word that came out of your mouth was “YEP” instead of “No”?
With the impossible task, responding with YEP opens you to consider how the task could be accomplished. It flexes your creative muscle and strengthens your IQ – Innovation Quotient. And it nudges your reputation into “can-do” territory. It builds your your exceptional talent.
When you’re faced with criticism, responding with YEP acknowledges that there could be at least some truth to the feedback, even if it was just an issue of perception. YEP flexes your self-improvement muscle, teaches you how to see things from different angles, and doesn’t shut down creativity in others. YEP distances your reputation away from arrogance and defensiveness. It opens you to your exceptional possibilities.
Reframing can be used everywhere: yourself, your team, your friends, and your family. There are a ton of other ways to do it, but this week the focus is on YET and YEP. So write those two words it onto a post-it note, and stick it somewhere prominent. And then start using them until they become a comfortable part of your vocabulary.
I couldn’t help it: read through the Tipsheet again and look for these acronyms.
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