I recently watched a TED talk with Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, about educators and students and something she calls ‘the power of yet.’ Carol began her talk by referencing a school in Chicago whose teachers chose to give a grade of ‘not yet’ instead of the dreaded ‘F’ when students hadn’t passed a subject.
What a revelation, to think like that — not in terms of failure, but rather instead of future potential.
You’re not yet there. But you will be, you can be; just keep going.
Carol spoke, too, of a time when she purposefully gave a group of middle-school students a problem they weren’t yet ready for, wanting to gauge their response. Would they feel helpless or cope somehow? Well, some of the kids did feel hopeless, helpless, in the face of a too-hard challenge, while others recognized their personal ‘yet’; no, they couldn’t yet rise to the test, but they knew they might be able to meet it later. After they’d grown, learned, lived a little more life.
These kids, the yet-kids, had what Carol termed a ‘growth mindset’ as opposed to a fixed one.
What about those students with a ‘fixed mindset’? As you might guess, they were devastated at their own perceived limits. They were not smart enough, they thought. Not talented. Not measuring up. Not capable of success. In Carol’s words, “Instead of luxuriating in the power of yet, they were gripped in the tyranny of now.”
The tyranny of now. Sit with that idea a moment. If that doesn’t feel like a box, I don’t know what does.
Perseverance is one of my favorite words. To me, it’s one piece of the formula every writer must embrace in order to succeed. (I feel so strongly about that, that ‘Perseverance’ makes up one of the seven sections in our upcoming Author in Progress book.)
If you are in a moment with your work in progress that feels like a stuck moment, remember you are never truly stuck. Nothing about the writer’s life is static. Not when every day might offer a new word, sentence, page, scene, chapter, or bold idea. Not when every day offers an opportunity for the growth mindset to kick in.
This work of mine, this wonderful, tortuous work. It might not be completed yet, but we are not yet at The End.
No, we are not.
Write on.
(p.s. Carol’s fantastic TED talk is just below. You can also learn more about her ideas through her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.)
Writers, how often do you grapple with ‘the tyranny of now’? How often do you encourage yourself on with ‘the power of yet’? What else do you tell yourself when it seems you can’t face the page one more day?
About Therese Walsh
Therese Walsh co-founded WU in 2006 and is the site's editorial director. She was the architect and 1st editor of WU's only book, Author in Progress, and orchestrates the WU UnConference. Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot; and her debut, The Last Will of Moira Leahy was a Target Breakout Book. Sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to learn about her new projects (or follow her on BookBub). Learn more on her website.
I like it!
Ha! This reminded me of the “Cheers” episode with Woody Boyd as Veggie Boy. “I like it!” :)
Hey, T,
Wonderful, inspiring piece, and the video is well worth the time.
Many years ago, I read Tolle’s “The Power of Now,” about staying in the “now” to prevent overwhelming oneself with “all the things” that are yet to come, as well as the things that have already passed; i.e., the things that we have no control over.
However, I do like Dweck’s approach with the “not there YET.” The NOW can be quite tyrannical. I’m stuck in the tyranny of now…well…right NOW. Totally different circumstances, but they prevent me from devoting the time to my writing as I should.
So each day, I take at least one step towards remedying the situation and getting my writing (and all things writing related) back on a workable schedule. It’s not there, yet, but I feel hopeful.
I guess I’ve always been a growth mindset kid.
Thanks for the inspiration to persevere!
Mike, thanks for bringing up this point because I do also believe in appreciating the now, as it’s all we’re ever guaranteed. And I do understand the need to be centered in the now to prevent overwhelm and anxiety over all of the many things we can’t control–past and future. Maybe there’s a way to create a handshake between these ideas if the key is to make the now an active moment. Make your now about leaning forward, stepping forward, reaching for more, striving toward the next moment, which is also a yet moment.
What do you think? Do I need more caffeine?
Yes! That’s exactly what I meant about taking at least a step a day to overcome the tyrannical now — working toward that yet moment, which I know is there, just beyond the horizon (with puh-lenty of caffeine along the way!).
Haha! I forgot you were King Coffee. Thanks, Mike!
I think I’ll adopt “the power of yet” for my new super power because I’ve spent too long lately wallowing in the tyranny of now. Thank you for this inspiring essay, Therese!
There’s a cape for that. ;-)
I can’t even describe how much this resonates with me, both personally and in my writing life. I’ve known about her work for some time and it’s fascinating. My 21 year old son was a lifer in special education and the result is a fixed-in-thick-mud mindset; new things are met with trepidation and resistance. I work with him all the time to undo the learned helplessness (no amount of effort makes a difference, so why try?) he acquired, now that he is attempting junior college. What a revelation her work can make for the future of our kids! And as for me, a “chronic underperformer” I will use ‘not yet’ as my new writing mantra as well…! Thanks for the post and video!
Ellen, I’m so glad this resonates with you and that you see immediate practical applications for the idea within your life and your son’s life. It’s excellent that he’s striving forward, enrolled in junior college. Even your use of ‘underperformer’ shows a desire to do better, which you can use to make change. Write on!
I agree with Julia’s sentiments above. In fact I’m overwhelmed by the profound truth of the message of yet. In a society where A grades are rewarded for the sake of the A grade, backstory is undervalued. As writers we come to understand that backstory is the reason for everything. This is the most transformational post I have read in a long time. I am sharing this not with just writer friends, as I often do with WU posts, but with everyone I know. Because I know this POV will change my life along with many others. So simple a truth, but so profound in its power. Thank you.
Thank you, Bernadette! I appreciate what you’ve said here on backstory, too. I think the rate of and motivation for personal forward momentum is directly affected by our history with like progress. (An internal dialog that involves hope is really important here, too.)
Wonderful way to frame this journey, T, and thank you for it. Of course we need a geek to bring an element into the conversation that’s blatantly obvious to all of us geeks: the movie Gladiator. For those who aren’t familiar, the movie’s protagonist, Maximus, is enslaved and befriends a fellow slave, Juba (who actually saved his life by cleaning and cauterizing his wounds after the skirmish that results in his betrayal and enslavement). Juba tells him that he will one day be reunited with his murdered wife and son… “but not yet, Spaniard. Not yet.” Juba repeats the refrain to Maximus at several key points through the movie, and it comes to symbolize that he has yet to complete his destiny – to right the injustice that led to his fall from grace. It’s powerful stuff.
And, this may sound both geeky and corny – and maybe even too woo-woo for most – but I’ve been on both sides of this thing with my writing. I’ve felt entrapped by the Tyranny of Now. The thing that always brings me back to the Power of Yet? I believe that these stories came to me for a reason, that they have a destiny. And that destiny lies in the fact that they deserve to be heard. It’s just that I have yet to put them into a worthy form to fulfill their destiny. Not yet, anyway. Not yet…
Vaughn:
If you’d like some confirmation of the sense of a soul’s destiny and its place in all of our lives, read James Hillman’s THE SOUL’S CODE. Just finished it. Some of it does, yes, feel a little woo-woo, but the vast majority is grounded in fact, science, and keen observation. (Hillman is a practicing Jungian psychiatrist with a generous soul and an amazing mind — brilliant writer, insightful mage, etc.) Although I’m not entirely sold on “the daimon chooses us at birth,” his ideas about the daimon have materially affected how I view a character’s yearning. Fascinating book. I think you’d love it.
Interesting note on The Soul’s Code, David. I’ll look into this one, too. Thanks.
His book The Force of Character, about life’s second half, is also good.
That also sounds good. (Sidenote: I’m bummed that his books are only sold as cassettes in audio form. )
Just downloaded The Soul’s Code. Thanks, David!
It doesn’t sound corny at all, V. ‘Yet’ gets closer every day because of that potent fuel you’re using. Carry on!
Therese, what a wonderful post. I hope all the people who need to read the power of “not yet” will get a chance. It just gave me a fresh boost of optimism, not just for the writing, but for some difficult family situations as well.
I’m glad this helped you, Vijaya! Wishing you well.
Omg, I love Dweck’s mindset philosophies, and especially these new phrases you’re introducing us to, Therese: “power of yet” and “tyranny of now.” I definitely fall into the fixed mindset trap at times. :(
For anyone who wants to read a bit more about mindset and writing, here’s my Writer Unboxed post on Dweck’s book: https://writerunboxed.com/2015/07/03/change-your-mindset/
Kristan, I love that you wrote about this, too. Favorite outtake:
I’ll be picking up a copy of Dweck’s book, too.
You know what’s funny? My thinking is fixed, yet my actions push toward growth.
I think that I’m just stubborn. I could get greater enjoyment out of my stubbornness, though. That’s my take away today.
Nice to see the Mama posting!
“I think that I’m just stubborn.”
First laugh of the day, thank you.
Stubborn is just another word for perseverant, so hang onto that quality — at least in your writing life. ;-)
Hi, Therese:
Though I believe this Power of Yet is crucial for young minds — a dear friend’s brilliant daughter is currently being subjected to the “I’m stupid” self-identification because her school regimen runs totally counter to her blindingly apparent gifts — I also believe there is a time to embrace the Tyranny of Now.
As I’ve noted before, I majored in math. I had no intention of doing so, but the English and History departments at that time at my college (Ohio State) were mediocre (the creative writing program now is great — Donald Roy Pollock is a grad).
I stumbled into honors calculus, which was weird, because I’d had to retake my high school senior year in pre-calculus because I didn’t test well. (My high school math teacher, Sr. Rita Agnes, told my fellow students I had an illogical mind.)
But stumble in I did — to a class of 300 students. The head of the department, Dr. Arnold Ross, led the section. He believed in challenging his students. To put it mildly.
By the end of the first week (after the first homework assignment), the class was down to 150. By the second week, it was down to 75.After the midterm, it was 30. I was one of those 30. This, he said, was a workable group. He would continue to challenge us, but none of us would get less than a B, no matter how poorly we did, because he did not believe in punishing students who accepted a challenge.
Dr. Ross and the other honors math professors changed my life. I was ALWAYS in over my head. (Once, as part of a summer program, I was in with wunderkinds from around the world — including two six-year-old geniusES from Russia — and on a daily basis got my intellectual ass kicked.) But as Dr. Ross and the other professors explained, in your professional life, especially if you are creative, you will always face challenges that baffle and intimidate you. You need to develop problem-solving techniques so you at least now how and where to begin.
I guess this is a mix of the Power of Yet and the Tyranny of Now. I know the book I’m writing presents a totally new and overwhelming challenge — and I can’t just say “later.” I have to write it NOW.
I also know there are ways to solve the problems, I’m confident given past success, and all I need to do is keep at it, keep working, keep thinking and feeling deeply, and … wait for it, wait for it … persevere.
Lovely post. Thanks so much.
Oh, boy, that student you described reminds me of myself in high school. I thought I was the stupidest person on the planet. I hope your friend’s daughter finds her way out of that chokehold.
I very much enjoyed your story of Sr. Rita Agnes (‘an illogical mind,’ what?) and Dr. Arnold Ross.
“Always be in over your head” could be a mantra by itself, don’t you think? It forces the sink or swim mindset we all need to move. Sinking is not an option.
For my part, I’m still working on developing those problem-solving strategies you mentioned. They don’t work perfectly, not quite yet.
I love Dr. Ross’s idea of not “punishing students who accepted a challenge.” I wish more teachers would try that philosophy.
I can’t top what other commenters have said about the value of this lesson, so I will be brief. Thank you for sharing this Therese. As pearls of wisdoms go, this one is exquisite.
Therese,
This proves again what all writers should take to heart: that our attention to language, the words used and how they’re wielded, makes all the difference in what is heard and carried away.
Our readers are kind enough and open enough to receive. So fussing over a sentence (persevering) can be an act of love. When the passion seems to flag and the options seem few, I’ll try to remember this.
And ain’t it just like a mother for you to nurture this group with a message so kind! Thanks
I needed this today xoxoxo
I’m glad it was here for you!
Therese, my fiction writing seems an endless gonging of “not yet”—sometimes that’s a meditative rhythm, one I can patiently lean into; sometimes it’s a ten-alarm fire, sounding of stress and regret.
So, I’ll often turn to nonfiction writing, where I rarely hear gongs or alarms, because I have less emotional investment there. For all other concerns, there’s dark chocolate. And whiskey.
Tom, have you heard Ira Glass talk about the creative life? This is, for me, the most potent lesson: talk of the gap between our taste and our now. It’s so wise, so true, and should be hugely encouraging for all creative types.
For my part, I believe you have excellent taste, and I can’t imagine the gap for you is so large that you can’t bridge it if you keep building that arch. Write on, Tom.
I hear you Tom. I’m in the same place. NF is my comfort zone. And I’m so very aware of that gap Therese. Working at closing it. Funny thing, I have a feeling you never do … because there is always another bridge to cross.
Love the essay. I promptly opened my WIP and was confronted by one frustrating “now” issue I have not solved — first person or third? I vacillate daily on which perspective to use. Some days I am zen with this and I write it how it wants to come out. Other days I want to make up my mind already!! Any suggestions for confronting this are welcome. For now, I’m punting to “don’t decide YET.”
Good luck with landing on the right solution for your story, Laura! Maybe the characters aren’t ready to show you the way. Yet.
Love this, Therese, and wish I had used the power of YET when I was teaching and grading papers. Brilliant concept for a grade. I know I gave some F’s but I always wrote long explanations of how the student could improve. Feeling guilty? Yes.
I wouldn’t feel guilty. It sounds like you were empowering those students in ways that mattered.
Oh, this is awesome. For months now I’ve replied to clients’ and others’ complaints about how this-and-such hasn’t happened with the single word, “Yet.” It usually has a powerful effect, for sure. But I’d never thought about it as The Power of Yet, until now! Thanks so much for this, Therese!
I absolutely love this, Therese. Thank you for the inspiration. <3
I’m becoming more and more aware of a powerful synchronicity at work in the Universe and your post is another key turning in the lock for me. Thank you, Mama T.
Like many from what I read in the comments, what you’ve written with such grace and compassion resonates on a deeply personal level. Part of my depression, outside of all the negative self-talk, stems from being locked in the Now. I’m just learning how to give thanks for present circumstances and count my blessings. To divine a pattern that will lead me and my family on to better things, and what I can take away- empathy, loss of guilt over past mistakes, simply becoming a better human being.
Of course all those things apply to the page as well. I recently began writing a story very different from the usual horror and strangeness that I love. Not that it isn’t dark or strange, but that my depression gave me a new set of tools to work with and an answer to the question of what story would you really write if you only had time to tell one story. So I’m writing this story as if telling it to the girl I once was, which in turn has graced me with a little more compassion for the person I am today.
And that’s what great writers do- offer compassion in a world going mad.
But this statement of how powerful “Not Yet” is also reminds me again of my favorite quote- the Ira Glass one about the gap. And that the work I do today matters. “Not yet” is a promise I’m going to make to myself today and tomorrow, and the day after that. A promise that I will do the work and believe in, and be thankful for, my potential and the potential of the story I’m writing.
Lots of hugs. I hope to give them to you in person very soon.
I had just finished putting up an embedded video to ‘the gap’ in my comment to Tom when I saw this from you, Tonia! Love that we both went there and that you already have Ira Glass’s message in your mind.
Love this, too:
Brilliant. Write on, my friend.
For a long time, I nearly gave up on writing because so many of the writers I started with were passing me by. They were getting agents, published, posting photos of themselves signing contracts or opening boxes of their new books. Seriously, I couldn’t take it anymore. Better to just jump ship.
But then I compared the rest of my life to theirs. Many of them didn’t work full time, or their kids were grown and out of the house. Some were much like me but, I honestly had to admit, worked harder and made connections.
We each have our own pace. Some will publish at 20 (we file those under the “hated” category) and some at 70. We can embrace the “right now” by looking how far we’ve come. And the “not yet” is suddenly quite visible, well within our grasp. Life isn’t a race, at least it shouldn’t be. The key, as you say, is perseverance. I’ve yet to meet a writer who kept at it for 20 years with zero success.
Great comment, Ron, thank you.
It’s interesting how examining others’ achievements can work two ways: It can be a bit poisonous if we compare ourselves to others in order to justify wearing cement-block shoes. But if we examine others’ progress and situations, and use those analyses to illuminate and inspire us on, then you have fuel.
I agree, too, with what you say here about looking back, recognizing how far you’ve come and your own potential for more of the same through future growth. Carol Dweck calls that ‘process praise.’
Ron, I too have dealt with the “passing me by” issue from time to time but I’ve come to accept that I’m slower at this game than some. I have 1 ms I’ve been working on for about 10 years. I still believe it will be published. But not yet. Cuz I’m not done tweaking it. I’ve had people say “Well maybe that one’s not meant to be published.” I don’t think so. I think my gut would tell me if that’s the case because revision is not exactly a lark—I still very much believe in that story, which is why I keep working on it.
It’s time will come. But not just yet.
If your gut is telling you you’re on the right track, just keep going, no matter how long it takes to finish, or ‘perfect.’ Gut sense tops all, in my opinion.
Also, have you ever heard of the PBS series Any Human Heart? It’s the story of a writer who always meant to find the time to write, but life kept getting in the way. It’s fantastic, and the last scene is just…just.
Some info: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/anyhumanheart/characters.html
I love this, Therese. And I’ve enjoyed the informative comments too.
Thinking about this idea with regard to education, my boys spent their first few years of grade school in a Montessori school where they didn’t move on to the next level in a core subject until they’d mastered the current level. There was never a sense of shame about not “getting it” right away, every child was just on their own track. Their confidence was high, and instead of hating school, they loved it, and in fact excelled. When we moved to a new state and they started public school, they were far ahead of the curve.
Anyway, I think the notion of “not yet,” while still taking steps to move forward, is very powerful. Kind of like the Post-It note ad where the girl jumps a little higher every day. Thanks!
That sounds like a wonderful educational experience for your boys, Gwen. Don’t we wish all schools worked like that?
I need to look up this commercial! :)
Got it!
Essential reading, Therese! I was lucky enough to attend as an undergrad a university that had a policy of Pass/No Record grades. If you failed, there was no record of your having taken the course. Needless to say, this was back in hippie days when lots of radical ideas were being tried.
I was there for only two years and can’t tell you how freeing those years were for me. No competition, just let loose to learn what I wanted. I took all kinds of courses, many of which I might have avoided for fear of damaging that holy GPA. These days the lack of a GPA might be a problem when applying to grad school, but back then it wasn’t a problem for me.
I’ve tried to hold onto that mindset, along with an approach I learned from working with an amazing visual artist, Jill Watts. “We’re just playing now,” she’d say.
About 15 years ago, feeling apprehensive about the future, I decided to try learning something entirely new each year. For each I set myself some amall goal after which I could drop it. For riding, my goal was to walk, trot, canter & jump a small gate. For music theory it was to write one tune. It’s been fun!
Thanks again for these great mantras.
What a fantastic college experience, Barbara. I just love it.
I also had to look up Jill Watts. Speaking of love: Her Suit of Protection is brilliant. Throwing down a link for anyone who wants to check it out:
https://jillwattsart.wordpress.com/suit-of-protection-2x2x6-2014/
It’s been said that when God answers prayers, it’s with “yes,” “no,” or “not yet.” I think the same approach works with writing. Have faith in your writing; be patient and persevere; accept mistakes and setbacks; and through it all, be true to yourself and the writer you want to be.
Thank you for this, Therese.
Carol Dweck’s Ted Talk reminded me of a book I read years ago citing real exam questions and answers from young children, collected by schoolteachers. Like this one: Question – name six animals that live at the North Pole. Answer: six seals and six polar bears. The student got extra marks. What a great teacher. What a great learning experience. What a great Ted Talk.
Thank you for your thoughtful post, Therese. As well as pushing on with enhancing my manuscript, I’m learning the Maori language. Maori elements feature in my story and learning te reo is deepening my thinking. As an adult language class, we do regular tests and if we get things wrong or can’t complete a section, we get a “yet-to-achieve”. The next week we get our papers back to finish those parts. Then we get an “achieved”. So there is never any “fail”. It is a marvellous system that encourages enthusiasm and learning. If only my high school maths teacher had taken that approach instead of telling me “girls don’t need maths”. But then, I might have succeeded and become a mathematician instead of a writer… And I’d rather be a writer.
That’s wonderful. Maybe your language teacher knows about Carol Dweck, too!
While ‘girls don’t need maths’ is a horrible statement, I’m glad you’re in the writers’ house with us.
I went through a graduate program in which you could only receive an “A” or “B” grade. Anything less wasn’t considered to have reached the level needed for the practice in the field in which I was training. If you did not achieve this level, you had a peer partner to help, professors to meet with and lots of support for making the expected grades. No one ever felt like a failure and no one ever dropped out of the program. I spent thirty years in my career and I always felt the top of my game.
Ah, it’s hard to live in that world of “not yet.” Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Therese for this post. It’s scary sometimes how these things can be so timely. As of today I’m coming back from a week’s ‘vacation’ from writing my story because after my last phone call with a Story Genius, I wanted to throw myself off a cliff. My rewrite was supposed to be fun, the comments were helpful and correct and best of all, adding said comments to my story would make aspects of my novel more like a lot of the novels I enjoy reading. But then I sat down to DO it, and I felt like I was in that box, and said box was closing in all around me as I was sitting there.
I hated my story … but no … I hated my perceived ‘tyranny of now.’ That perfectionist feeling that if I didn’t get it by now, I wasn’t going to … but when I read things I’ve done years past, I am a lot better than I was … my problem was the pressure of the now instead of enjoying the freedom of the “Power of Yet.” I’ve been rushing myself to finish this novel which has taken all the joy out of it, and it became a suffocating J-O-B. To the point where I like the job I hate more … you know … the one where we make money. Now that had never happened before. Anyway, as I am procreating right now (wow, that was so autocorrect and I’m leaving it instead of procrastinating:) on another way too long comment.
The Power of Yet is freeing and relaxing. I think that drawing on my past experiences where I have come a lot further in my writing (as well as aspects and goals of my personal life) helps me to keep going. To know that it’s not a matter of if, but when … because that’s been the case in other aspects of life. I think if we draw on past successes of challenging goals, it will help to remind us that ‘the yet’ is on its way.
Brilliant and powerful. Thank you for the inspiration and reminder to keep going and practice perseverance. I’d like to trust the process more than I do and your column helped me get there today.