Tip: I am a verb!
Tip of the Week
07/29/13
Tip: I am a verb!
If your educational experience was anything like mine, at some point in time you had to learn the eight parts of speech. I’m sure you remember them: noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Without me going into great detail or giving examples of each one, I just want to focus on a couple of them to show how understanding different parts of speech can make an impact in your own personal life.
When I was in school I was taught that a noun is the name of a person, place or thing. That seemed to be pretty clear. My name, Robert Rohm, is a noun because I am a person. The small town in which I grew up is named Griffin. That is a noun as well because it is a place. And, the desk I sat in while in school was a thing. Those are just three simple examples of nouns. I’m sure you get the idea.
I was also taught about verbs. I was told that there are basically two kinds: words that show action like run, walk, jump, eat, help, and laugh; and words that show a state of being, like the words am and was.
While all of that is well and true, I have seen how some things have changed and taken on new meaning in our current world. Over the years, I have realized that instead of just being a person who is a noun, I actually want to be a verb. I want to be someone whose life demonstrates action, helping, encouraging, blessing others, showing kindness and doing things that display an attitude of action. I want to be proactive towards life and other people.
This is a little bit of a difficult concept, so I want to use a couple of examples that perhaps will help illustrate my point even further.
Years ago, a company was started which was called Federal Express. I’m sure you have heard of them or seen one of their big trucks drive past you recently. Federal Express was a noun. It was the name of a company, but over the years, because of their action, we slowly changed FedEx from the name of a company to something we do. We now “FedEx” an envelope in order to get it to its destination. FedEx has become a verb!
Another example would be a company by the name of Xerox. They sold office equipment, but with time, making a copy of a piece of paper became an action that we did. We would say, “Would you please ‘Xerox’ this for me?” Xerox moved from the position of being a noun to being a verb.
These are just a couple of simple examples that I hope illustrate the point that something can move from just being a noun to being a verb. I don’t have anything against nouns. But, it just seems that nouns are becoming boring and verbs are starting to take the lead. A verb causes us to be energized to want to do something, to make a difference, to have an influence, or to make a positive contribution to the world in which we live.
Each one of us has daily opportunities to either sit back and wait for someone to do something for us, or we can choose to take the lead and do something for someone else. I recently heard that medical studies have shown that if a person is depressed or feeling down or blue, one of the greatest things they can do is to get their minds off of themselves and onto other people. The more you encourage others and uplift the spirit of another person, the more you will receive a blessing and be uplifted yourself. It is just the way life works.
I don’t know everything that you are going through right now, but if you find yourself being stuck in life or in a situation, it may be because you have settled into the “noun” position. I really want to encourage you to at least consider the fact that rather than being a noun, you can be a verb. You can FedEx, you can Xerox, you can run, walk, jump, eat, help, laugh, and a thousand other things! Those are the words that describe you, and that is who you really are…a person of action who makes a difference and a positive contribution to your family, friends, and business associates.
When I think about being a verb, I get excited! I think about being happy. I think about being on the go! I think about being lifted up and accomplishing goals, dreams, and visions that I have had for my whole life. And, by the way, I don’t have a corner on that market; it is available for you as well.
This week, join me in being a verb. It may be a silly, simple concept, but it certainly will make a positive difference in your life. At least that is the way I look at it! Go verbs!!!
Tip: I am a verb!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
