November 5

Nouns and Verbs

Author and artist Austin Kleon wrote, “Lots of people want to be the noun without doing the verb.” This means they want to be thought of as a certain kind of person—a writer, a painter, a musician, an editor— without doing the hard work necessary to actually do the work. To them, it’s more about being a certainkindof person than doing the actual work that person would do.

Of course, to be any of those things, you have to do the things those people do. If you want to be a writer, you must write consistently. If you want to be a musician, you must make music. If you want to be a leader, well…lead. If more people focused on the verbs instead of the nouns, the world would certainly be filled with compelling work. And if you focus more on the verbs, you will make steady progress on your goals.

If you’re not yet the thing youwantto be, begin doing the thing that person does. Write every day. Make music. Build the business, one day at a time.

If you want to be the noun, focus on doing the verb.

QUESTION

What verb should you do more consistently to help you become the noun?