As her due date inches closer and closer, Turia Pitt is reflecting on the lessons she learned from her own mother.
The inspirational burns survivor revealed that one of the most important things her mum taught her was a three-lettered word – ‘yet’.
It was a simple word, but a powerful one that Turia, 30, credits with changing her complete outlook on life and helping her get through its hardest moments.
Turia was just in primary school and struggling in Maths when her mum first revealed that word.
Inspirational burns survivor Turia Pitt, 30, has revealed that ‘yet’ was a simple three-letter word that changed her life
Turia was just in primary school and struggling in Maths when her mum first revealed that powerful word and inspired her to keep working hard and persevere
‘I was a couple of years behind my class in skill level, and I would get so frustrated about being so far behind my friends,’ Turia wrote on her blog Wednesday.
‘I felt stupid and silly and like I’d just never “get it”‘.
One day Turia came home from school after another Maths test feeling ‘angry, frustrated and totally dejected’.
She asked her mum: ‘What’s the point? I’m just not good at this.’
‘Turia, you’re not good at this YET,’ her mum responded. ‘Maths is a skill. It’s just like riding a bike. Just because you’re not good at it now, doesn’t mean you won’t be good at it in the future.’
Her mum was right. Turia would graduate high school first in her classes, win the Maths medal, and even become a mining engineer.
And she would be right again when Turia was in the hospital after a horrific bushfire left her covered with burns on 65 per cent of her body six years ago.
Turia said the power of that three-lettered word taught her just how important the words she speaks to herself can open up a ‘whole new world of growth’
‘When I couldn’t feed myself, couldn’t dress myself, couldn’t brush my hair (for years!), I would cry with frustration and say “I can’t do it”‘, Turia recalled.
‘Each time mum would gently remind me, “Turia, you can’t do it YET”.
‘What mum made me realise was that, even though my situation was hard, it wasn’t permanent. If I kept trying, kept persevering, I could and would get better.’
Turia said the power of ‘yet’ taught her just how important the words she speaks to herself and others can be.
‘When you say something negative and final like “I can’t do this”, there’s no room for movement. It’s a fixed and final statement – one your brain reads as “the end”‘, she wrote.
‘You can’t do this and you never will. So, give up.’
‘But adding three little letters to the end – yet – opens you up to a whole world of growth. I can’t do this yet, but if I keep trying, one day I will.’
Turia and her partner Michael Hoskin (pictured) are expecting a baby boy in early December
Turia revealed on the six-year anniversary of the bushfire that she is happier than ever before
‘Remember, where you are right now isn’t permanent. With time, energy and a little perseverance, all things are possible.’
It’s a truth that Turia has proved, revealing she is happier than ever after the bushfire that changed her life.
‘I’ve never felt compelled to acknowledge the anniversary, but it’s been six years today since I was trapped in a grassfire competing in an ultra marathon,’ she wrote on Instagram last week.
‘It’s been bloody tough and there have been some massive lows, but I’ve managed to rebuilt my life and I can honestly say, I’ve never been happier.’
Turia continued, offering followers experiencing difficult situations words of inspiration.
‘This post is for anyone going through a rough patch or a s**t time – hang in there, surround yourself with good people and never lose hope for the future.’
‘It’s been bloody tough and there have been some massive lows, but I’ve managed to rebuilt my life and I can honestly say, I’ve never been happier,’ Turia wrote
Turia also took to the social media platform on Friday, to share another photo of her burgeoning baby bump.
She looked radiant as she posed in a floral-themed dress as her pregnant form was projected as a shadow on the wall behind her.
It has been quite the red letter year for Turia, who also lost four fingers on her left hand and her right thumb in the 2011 incident in the Western Australian Kimberly region.
In June this year she announced that she was expecting her first child, a boy, with fiance Michael Hoskin.
Turia also took to Instagram last week to share another photo of her burgeoning baby belly