The Magical Yet

This week, I have been privileged to meet and work with School and Teacher Librarians and Administrators as well as Australian authors from across the country. In addition to learning about their professional narratives, I was most fortunate to learn about and read many, varied children’s books. One story that stood out to me that linked into the work that I do is that of “The Magical

Yet” by Angela DiTerlizzi. The book brings to life that learning is a process and that it does not matter if we do not master a task/skill the first time we attempt to learn it. What does matter is perseverance and finding ways of mastering the task/skill in a way and time that works for us.

Considering the lessons offered in the book “The Magical Yet” there are two key components that stand out for me about personal and professional growth. These are the importance of a growth mindset and the story that we tell ourselves. When we commit to being open to learning, we commit to navigating the world of the unknown until such time that we satisfy our curiosity and or grow because of the experience. In determining our narrative, why not use language to harness the strength we need to do something? Instead of saying “I can’t do that”, let’s reframe our self-talk with “I can’t do that yet”. In making this language change, we remove unnecessary pressure from ourselves that may prevent us from fulfilling our goals.

When we review, renew, and regenerate our way of being, doing, and relating, we reframe our approach. When we reframe our approach with a growth mindset, anything is possible. Nelson Mandela used to say, “It always seems impossible until it’s done” and Helen Keller used to describe problem-solving as “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn”.

So, what is getting in your way? What do you need to do to review, renew and regenerate?