The Magic Word

Our minds are wired to spot signs and predict what’s coming next.  Humans have been forecasting ever since our brains were big enough to wonder what tomorrow might bring.  It’s what animal trackers do with footprints, what farmers do with the weather, and what investors do with markets.  And honestly?  It’s a pretty impressive gift.

But this same gift can jam us up.  We can get so locked on the future that we trip over the present, misread cues, skip steps, and lose our footing.  But this isn’t a “stay in the moment” talk—we can save that for another time.  Let’s look at this whole forecasting thing, for now.

At its core, prediction is fiction.  Nobody knows what’s coming.  We’re all just running the numbers in our heads, trying to guess the most likely outcome.  Some people are great at it, some aren’t, but everybody does it.  It’s how we prepare.

The problem is the hidden assumption under most forecasts: that whatever direction you’re currently heading is straight, predictable, and permanent.  If things are going well, you expect the good times to roll forever.  If things are falling apart, you expect the slide to never stop.  But the universe has one constant—change.  It will not always be this way.

So what does this look like in your world?  Consider these statements:

“I can’t figure this out.”

“My slider has no depth.”

“I can’t keep up with these guys.”

“There is no pop in my bat.”

“I am not strong.”

“I’m not where I want to be.”

Each of these thoughts is loaded with despair—a quiet belief that the trend will keep dropping straight into the floor.  They assume the future is fixed, and they’re soaked in emotion, which makes it all feel permanent.

Something goes worse than you expected → you feel bad → you assume the downward trend is forever → you freeze.  Something goes better than you expected → you feel good → you assume the upward trend is forever → you stop pushing.  In both cases, the conclusion is the same: it feels like you have no control, so you stop acting.

But all of these thoughts are missing the magic word: yet.

Add “yet” to any of those statements and everything shifts. The meaning changes. The forecast changes. The entire story changes.

“I can’t figure this out… yet.”

“My slider has no depth… yet.”

“I can’t keep up with these guys… yet.”

“There is no pop in my bat… yet.”

“I am not strong… yet.”

“I’m not where I want to be… yet.”

“Yet” says, this is what’s true right now—but this isn’t the final version of me.  It acknowledges that things won’t stay this way because you will make decisions, and you will take action, and those choices bend the trajectory.

“Yet” gives you perspective. It reminds you that you’re in motion, nudges your mind back toward growth instead of doom, and puts today in its proper place inside a much bigger arc.

This tiny magic word pulls you out of the illusion of “forever” and puts you back into the reality of change.

Start adding it to the end of your thoughts, and embrace the changes to come.