Episode Transcript
Welcome to Episode 5 of A New Leaf, I am your host Carl Tambeau. Todays Episode, The Word That Changes Everything, is from our book "The Attitude Shift" ... A Motion By The Ocean original.
There's a word I didn't think much about when I was younger. It's small, almost invisible.
But somewhere along the way...it became the word that changed everything.
The word is "yet."
Three simple letters.
One promise.
I can't do this ... "yet"
I don't understand it... "yet"
I haven't found my rhythm ... "yet"
It's not denial.
It's defiance.
It's hope ... wearing work clothes.
There was a time I thought growth had an expiration date - that if something hadn't happened by a certain age, it never would.
But then life, in its quiet wisdom, kept proving me wrong.
You can learn new things at sixty-one.
You can dream new dreams at seventy.
You can fall in love with life again at any moment you decide to.
The word "yet" reminds you that you're not finished - you're still becoming.
When a child is learning to walk, we don't say, "They can't."
We say, "They're learning."
We celebrate the effort, not just the success.
Somewhere along the way, we forget that.
We trade patience for pressure.
We start judging ourselves by outcomes instead of growth.
But "yet" brings us back.
It's a bridge between where you are and where you're going. A word that lets grace and progress hold hands.
Here's what neuroscience tells us:
The brain never retires.
Every new challenge - every song you write, every story you tell, every new skill you attempt - it builds new connections, new pathways, new possibilities.
Growth doesn't stop.
It just needs invitation.
And "yet" is that invitation.
So the next time you feel stuck, try this:
Catch the thought that says, "I can't."
Don't fight it.
Just add one small word at the end.
"I can't ... yet."
Feel how the weight shifts?
That single word turns a wall into a doorway.
It doesn't erase the challenge - it gives you permission to keep trying.
I've spent most of my life chasing mastery - but these days, I'm more interested in becoming a student again.
To stay curious.
To stay humble.
To keep saying, "Not yet, but soon."
There's peace in that.
There's freedom in that.
The ocean teaches it perfectly:
Every wave is different, but each one returns - again and again - shaping the shore, little by little.
Progress doesn't always roar.
Sometimes it whispers, "You're getting closer."
So if you've been feeling behind, if your dreams seem too far gone - remember this:
You're not late.
You're learning.
You're living the in-between.
And yet...is still waiting to finish the sentence.
"I can't do this ... yet"
Three simple letters. One promise.
Say it softly and believe it completely.
Because every time you do, you remind yourself - your story isn't over.
It's still being written.
Wave by wave.
