“Yeah, but…”

And why it’s most important to focus on what’s possible instead of what has been

“Yeah, but…” is probably my least favorite beginning to any sentence. In my experience, it sends the following messages:

• “I’m not listening to you. I’m more focused on my response than truly internalizing what you’re saying.”

• “I want to focus on why what you’re saying is wrong rather than moving forward towards a solution or next step.”

Neither of these are constructive, and when trying to build or invest in hard things, identifying reasons (the “buts”) is easy. Here’s what it looks like in cartoon form:

Instead of “yeah, but”, do what’s hard. Ask, “what if?” Instead of “yeah, their tech is great but the market is small”, try “their tech is great so we have something unique here, what do we need to believe about the future for their tech to grow the market?”

Having an opinion on an uncertain future and taking financial risk on being wrong is difficult. Most humans aren’t built that way. It’s easier to just say no. But if you can train yourself to do it well over time, there’s no limit on the potential things you can help bring to fruition in the real world.