Up Until Now

Jerry Weinberg writes about this in More Secrets Of Consulting.

My favorite Golden Key trick for unlocking this constant comments was inspired by Virginia Satir, but I dedicate it to a Nebraska farmer who was being interviewed by a reporter on the occasion of his 100th birthday: "Have you lived all your life in Nebraska?" the reporter asked. "Well, yes," the farmer said, after a moment adding, "... up until now."

Lesson: whenever you're feeling trapped by a statement of Absolute Truth, consider breaking it by adding the disclaimer "...up until now."

cf MindSet

on the other hand: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2009742-the-worst-day-of-your-life-so-far