There is power in the way you phrase sentences. It changes how you think about yourself and your abilities. I struggle with phrasing sentences like “I’m a developer or an artist.” It limits me, I see my future through the lens of my idea of what a developer or an artist is. That feels heavy. Opens up questions like: What qualifies me to say I’m an artist?

Instead of using the verb to be, I practice using the verb to do.

“I am a developer” becomes “I write code for a living” and “I am an artist” becomes “I create visual images using code.” It no longer has the weight of a label. Communication becomes more direct and specific. It reduces the likelihood of brain falling into stereotypes. It also opens up opportunities to do even more. There are no more limiting thoughts like “I’m just a developer, I can’t design.” but “I wrote code for some time, I will try designing a new t-shirt”.