In Year 5, when I was about ten years old, I was doing remedial maths.
I found it so difficult.
Every night I’d sit down with my homework and look at the numbers in front of me and feel so overwhelmed with how hard it all was.
One night in particular, I was sitting in the kitchen while Mum cooked lentil stew, my homework spread out across the table in front of me.
I remember it so distinctly. The stew bubbling quietly in the pot, Mum chatting away loudly, the rain coming down outside.
And the overwhelming feeling that I just couldn’t do it.
I burst into tears and said to Mum “I’m so stupid, I don’t get this, I can’t do it.”
And my Mum, my beautiful Mum said “No. Turia. You can’t do it yet.”
Just by adding that little word ‘yet’, I was reminded that just because I couldn’t do something at the time, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to find a way to make it happen in the future.
And that gave me hope.
Whatever you’re working towards – even if you can’t see results right now and even if you might not be where you want to be – it doesn’t mean that you’re not making progress.
Use ‘yet’.
You will get there.
Turia xx
PS – I share lots of stories and strategies like this in Good Selfie – my book for teens. If you know a teen that could use a little confidence boost, check it out! It might be exactly what they need, or it might end up sitting pretty on their bookshelf for a few years. That’s OK! It’s good at doing both!
