The Power of Yet

Have you ever looked at a situation and thought, “I just can’t do that”? Maybe it was a new challenge or goal. A skill everyone else around seemed to be able to accomplish easily — except you.

If you live with a disability, you hear things like “you’ll never be able to” and “that’s just not possible” more than most — from medical teams, teachers, and society in general. These opinions from others can quickly become our own thoughts about ourselves. But one small word can change that whole mantra.

Yet — it’s the bridge between what is and what could be.

It’s the beginning of possibilities and dreams.

Between “I can’t” and “I’m trying.”

Between stuck and growing.

I received a bracelet very similar to the one in the picture above last week. To anyone else, it might just look like another handmade bracelet — one you might have made as a little kid. But to me, this bracelet means more than just an accessory. It serves as a reminder of courage and control.

In life, growing up with a disability, control is something you don’t always have. But mindset is something you can always choose.

There are so many things about my body and circumstances that I can’t change — surgeries, pain, how long it takes to do simple things, or how people perceive me. But every time I look down at my wrist and see those gold letters against the black beads, I remember that I can choose how I respond.

I can choose to try again.

I can choose to believe growth is still possible.

I can choose to say, “I’m not there… yet.”

That’s what The Power of Yet is really about — reclaiming progress as part of the process. It’s not about having everything figured out right now. It’s about giving yourself permission to still be becoming.

One story that comes to mind when thinking of this is learning to drive. I started the process later than my non-disabled friends. From getting my learner’s permit, and finding a company with the adaptive equipment I needed to drive that could teach me, to passing my driver’s test and getting a car modified — the whole process took so much longer than those around me.

I started to think, “I’m never going to be able to drive.” Switching that inner mantra from I’m never going to be able to to I can’t yet changed my perspective and allowed me to regain control. I couldn’t control that I didn’t have access to a car with the equipment I needed at any given moment, or that I had to take the driver’s test multiple times in order to pass. But I could control how I chose to feel about the situation.

But The Power of Yet isn’t just for big milestones like driving. Sometimes, it shows up in the middle of hard seasons — the ones where progress feels invisible, and every day feels like starting over.

Last summer was one of the hardest seasons I’ve ever been through physically and emotionally. I spent most of it going back and forth between doctor’s appointments and physical therapy — sometimes twice a week. I was dealing with pain and stiffness in ways that didn’t make sense for someone my age, and after what felt like a long process of waiting, tests, and referrals, I was finally diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis.

Hearing that word hit hard. I already live with a disability… Spina Bifida I already have to work twice as hard just to keep up. And now, on top of all that, something else was trying to slow me down.

There were days I cried in frustration and pain, days I didn’t want to go to therapy, and days I wondered if I’d ever feel “normal” again. Days that made it hard to believe that at home injections would ever feel normal. I kept thinking, “This shouldn’t be this hard.” I felt stuck — like no matter how hard I tried, my body just wouldn’t cooperate.

But somewhere in the middle of all those appointments and hard conversations, I started telling myself a different story:

“I’m not better… yet.”

“I don’t feel strong… yet.”

“I don’t have answers… yet.”

It didn’t make the pain go away. It didn’t speed up the process. But it gave me something I could hold onto: hope.

And sometimes, hope is the thing that carries you from one appointment to the next. From one small win to the next. From surviving… to slowly, quietly healing.

Maybe you don’t live with a disability. Maybe your challenges look different — a mental health struggle, a goal that keeps slipping out of reach, a season that feels endlessly heavy. But the feeling of being stuck? Of wondering if things will ever change? That’s something we all experience in different ways. The Power of Yet reminds us that just because you’re not there today doesn’t mean you won’t get there eventually.

So whether you’re learning to drive, navigating a diagnosis, chasing a dream, or simply trying to make it through today — remember the power of yet. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. You don’t have to be where you thought you’d be. Growth takes time. Healing takes time. But every step, every try, every hard moment is part of becoming. And even on the days you feel stuck, you’re not finished… yet.