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The power of 'yet' with Zoe and Elmo from Sesame Street


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

Okay, you're almost ready. Oh wait, I'm almost ready. Okay, um, there you go. Okay, ready? And the zombie mobile! Three, two, one... oh! One baby boy! I almost want to work. Mine didn't work. I, I need a do-over.

All right, three, two, one... it didn't work again. Well, you know, that's okay, Zoe. Oh, Zoe can play with Elmo's— that works great! Well, thanks, Elmo.

Oh boy, I guess I'm just no good at building ramps. I'm sorry. Oh hi, Elmo! Hi, Zoe! Hi, Mr. Spell! What's wrong, Zoe? Oh, my ramp doesn't work. I'm just gonna go play with Elmo's rail.

Oh, hold on a second! Any great engineering project is going to involve some trial and error. It's not that your ramp doesn't work; it's just that it doesn't work yet. That's the power of yet!

Oh, Mr. Sam, is that like a superpower? Kind of, Elmo. It's a superpower that we all have. It's the idea that mistakes aren't bad and that we learn from them, so we keep trying.

But I tried my ramp twice already! Well, what did you try differently the second time? Well, nothing. Well, why don't we look closer and see if we can try a different approach? And even if that doesn't work, it's okay. We'll learn from it.

Okay, well the Zoe mobile crashed right here. Yeah, so maybe I need to just fill this hole. That's a good idea! Oh, I think I have a block that'll do just the trick. Oh wait, there you go, Zoe. I like the way you're thinking, like the great engineer that you are!

Ah, all right, here let me try. Okay, come here, Zoe mobile. Here we go! Oh no! Oh, that's it! I'm just giving up! No, no, no, no, no! Not if you believe in the power of yet.

You know how your muscles get stronger when you exercise? Oh yeah, I'm super strong, watch this! Exactly! Making mistakes and coming up with solutions to solve your problems is exercise for your brain. It's brainer size! Right! When you believe you can do it and you keep trying, that's when your brain is growing and you're learning new things.

Wow, it's called a growth mindset! Ah, okay, well then I'm gonna try again. That's okay, Zoe. That time the Zoe mobile crashed right here, right? So maybe if I get rid of this block... hey, look at that! Nice straight line all the way down. But that'll do it!

Here, let me try. Okay, come here, Zoe mobile. Here we go! Good job, Zoey! Oh boy, the Joy mobile! One circle thing! Can Zoey make Elmo's ramp taller and faster too? Let's do it together!

Great job, guys! I'm so proud that you kept trying. You weren't afraid to make mistakes, and because of it, we all learned a ton. Yeah, and that's the power of yes!

Come on, Zoey, let's play! All right, okay, so maybe if there's like something here...

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