Your Life is a Verb, Not a Noun: Embracing the Beauty of Becoming
I remember the first time I watched a river from its source—a mere trickle from a mossy stone—all the way to the vast, powerful flow it became miles downstream. It was never the same water twice. It was constantly receiving, releasing, carving new paths, and surrendering old ones. It was never just a "river," a fixed thing on a map. It was the act of rivering.
We so often speak of our lives in nouns. We say, "This is who I am." We fret about "finding myself," as if our essence is a set of lost keys buried in the past, waiting to be discovered so we can finally be a complete, finished person.
But what if that is the most exhausting misunderstanding of all? What if you are not a noun, but a verb? You are not a portrait, painted once and hung on a wall. You are the very act of painting itself—a dynamic, flowing, and endlessly creative process.
The Exhaustion of the Finished Self
The pressure to be a finished product is a heavy weight to carry. It makes every mistake feel like a crack in your foundation. Every change of heart feels like a failure of character. Every new interest that doesn't fit your old "story" feels like a betrayal of who you are "supposed" to be.
"I'm an accountant, so I can't suddenly start painting."
"I'm the strong one, so I must never show weakness."
"I'm a free spirit, so I can't desire stability."
These self-imposed labels become cages of our own making. We cling to the noun because it feels safe and knowable, even when it no longer fits the living, breathing verb of our experience.
The Freedom of the Unfolding Path
To embrace your life as a verb is to grant yourself the ultimate permission slip: the permission to change.
It means you can be both a accountant and a painter. You can be both strong and tender. You can be a free spirit who plants a garden and watches it grow. You are not contradicting yourself; you are expanding yourself.
Your past selves are not failed versions of who you are today. They were the necessary currents that carved the canyon of your present wisdom. The person you were at twenty and the person you are now are different, and that is not a sign of inconsistency, but a testament to your capacity for growth. You are not shattering; you are shedding, like a tree releases its leaves to make way for new growth.
How to Practice 'Being' a Verb
This is not a passive philosophy; it is an active practice of liberation.
Trade "I am" for "I am exploring." Instead of saying "I am not a dancer," try "I am exploring movement." Instead of "I am bad at this," try "I am learning how this works." Feel the shift? One is a dead end. The other is an open road.
Celebrate Your Phases. Look back at your life not as a series of mistakes, but as distinct seasons or chapters. Honor the "student" you were, the "heartbroken" you were, the "adventurer" you were. They all contributed to the complex, beautiful story you are telling now.
Follow the Gentle Tug. That quiet curiosity about a new subject, that small desire to try a different path on your walk, that sudden impulse to call an old friend—these are the whispers of your unfolding self. Follow them. They are the next brushstrokes on your canvas.
My dear friend, you will never "find yourself" because you are not lost. You are happening. You are a symphony being composed in real-time, a story being written with every choice, every breath, every moment of courage.
So, put down the heavy burden of the finished self. Release the need for a fixed identity. And step into the glorious, flowing, unpredictable, and breathtakingly beautiful current of your own becoming. The world does not need you to be a perfect, completed noun. It is waiting to see the magnificent verb that you are.
Did this whisper from the grove resonate with your soul?
The journey does not have to end here. In my book, "All I Need to Know to Live a Fulfilled Life," I weave together many more tales and practical wisdom to guide you back to your own inner magic.
Within these pages, you will discover how to:
Cultivate unshakable inner peace in a chaotic world.
Listen to the deep, knowing voice of your own intuition.
Transform challenges into fuel for your personal growth.
Weave everyday moments into a life of purpose and joy.
Continue your journey and hold this wisdom in your hands.
