As the competitive nature of our world continues to increase, success can feel elusive. Whether your sights are set on landing a promotion, raising capital, wining that new account, or inventing a game-changing product, you’ll need to break free from traditional thinking in order to seize success.
The ones who score the brass ring are not necessarily smarter or better connected. The common elements of those that seize extraordinary results have little to do with the brand name of their schooling, their hometown, or their race, gender, or age. When looking deeper into those who achieve greatly, they tend to embrace two positive core philosophies, which are brought to life by swapping two simple words in their everyday language:
1. Can’t –> Yet. Carol Dweck, bestselling author and leading researcher in the field of having a growth mindset, shares the incredible power of the word “yet.” Those with a fixed mindset, meaning they believe people either have a certain talent/ability or they don’t, often quit when success isn’t achieved on the first attempt. In contrast, those with a growth mindset believe that persistence, resilience, and tenacity are the stuff of champions. Instead of saying “I can’t write” (meaning the person will never be a good writer), the growth mindset individual would proclaim, “I’m not a good writer yet.” By simply replacing the word “can’t” to “yet,” you open up the prospect of growing into a desired outcome rather than giving up at the first signs of adversity. What is something you’ve been thinking you can’t possibly achieve? Where could you add the word “yet” to the mix in order to liberate potential?
2. Have to –> Get to. A close friend of my wife’s tragically learned that her young son is suffering from brain cancer. Before the health crisis, daily responsibilities such as going to work, running to the grocery store, or changing a diaper may have felt like a “have to” chore. After her son kicks cancer, she’ll undoubtedly relish each task with a new sense of gratitude. She’ll be grateful that she’ll “get to” pay the bills or do her taxes, realizing that the freedoms we have to do our daily work is a privilege and a gift. Gratitude begets success, so when we flip “have to” to an appreciative “get to,” we end up attracting more prosperity and joy into our lives. Think about your own “have to’s” this week and try swapping your words. When you “get to” do stuff, you do it better and enjoy the process.
These two simple vocabulary swaps can help you embrace the mindsets of success and happiness. Take your new language for a test drive, and you’ll get to enjoy new levels of prosperity and joy.