Name It—Now Claim It!
Throughout history, the most transformative moments haven’t come from discovering something new—they’ve come from naming what was already there. Before something has a name, it exists in shadows. Unnamed, it remains vague, personal, isolated. But the moment you name it, everything changes.
When you name something, you give it form. You give it power. You give it the ability to spread, to be understood, to even transform lives.
This gives voice to what had none. This breaks the silence and gives language to experience.
The Power of Naming
Before concepts have specific names, they existed as disconnected observations, vague feelings, or undefined experiences. But once they were named, understanding opened up.
When you name it, now these qualities become apparent:
Discussable
You can’t talk about what you can’t name. The moment “emotional intelligence” was coined, millions of conversations became possible. Teams could discuss it. Therapists could address it. Leaders could develop it.
Researchable
Scientists need terminology to study phenomena. “Flow state” gave researchers a target. “Impostor syndrome” enabled studies, statistics, and solutions. Without the name, there’s nothing to measure, test, or understand.
Teachable
How do you teach the unnamed? “Growth mindset” became a framework schools could implement. “Deep work” became a skill professionals could cultivate. The name created the curriculum.
Shareable
Ideas spread through language. “FOMO” went viral because it named something everyone felt but couldn’t express. “Hygge” traveled across cultures. A named concept is a transmissible concept.
Real
Perhaps most importantly—naming makes things real. Before “gaslighting” had a name, victims questioned their own sanity. Once named, they could recognize it, validate their experience, and take action. The name gave reality permission to exist.
Concepts once Named and Claimed Open Thinking and Possibility
Each of these terms opened new understanding by giving language to something previously unnamed. Before they existed, people experienced these realities but couldn’t articulate them. They struggled to discuss what they felt, teach what they knew, or research what they observed. The act of naming transformed invisible experiences into visible concepts—turning the intangible into something that could be recognized, studied, shared, and acted upon.
What was once trapped in individual minds became part of our collective vocabulary. What was once dismissed as “just the way things are” became a phenomenon worthy of examination. What was once suffered in silence became something people could identify, validate, and address.
The following are examples of named concepts:
Psychology & Mind
The mental discomfort from holding contradictory beliefs or values simultaneously.
Psychological manipulation that makes someone question their own reality and sanity.
A condition where repeated adverse situations lead to believing you can't change your circumstances.
The optimal state of complete absorption in an activity where time disappears and performance peaks.
The persistent feeling of being a fraud despite evidence of competence and success.
The ability to understand and manage your own emotions and recognize emotions in others.
The belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, versus being fixed traits.
Work & Productivity
Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push cognitive capabilities.
Purpose and Mission led by Vision. A meaningful endeavor.
Social & Cultural
The defining spirit or mood of a particular period in history as shown by ideas and beliefs.
A fundamental change in the basic concepts and practices of a discipline or worldview.
Brief, commonplace indignities that communicate hostile or derogatory messages to marginalized groups.
Cultural norms that associate manhood with dominance, emotional suppression, and aggression.
Anxiety that others are having rewarding experiences you're absent from.
You Only Live Once.
Rapper Drake’s hit song The Motto has lyric: You only live once, that’s the motto YOLO.
Relationships & Connection
The five distinct ways people express and receive love: words, time, gifts, service, touch.
The intentional practice across four dimensions: mind, heart, body, and soul, creating alignment and wholeness.
Experiential Concepts
A quality of coziness, contentment, and well-being through enjoying simple things.
The realization that every passerby has a life as complex and vivid as your own.
The experience of pleasure or satisfaction at another person's misfortune.
The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling but now abandoned.
The strange wistfulness of browsing a used bookstore filled with old, forgotten books.
Naming a New Life Stage
For ages, we’ve had childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, senior and others. But with the shift in demographics, a stage was missing until it and identified and named.
By naming The Masterwork Years, author Sherrie Rose has given identity to a stage of life that millions were entering and couldn’t define. But there was a feeling and a shared experience. Not “middle age.” Not “pre-retirement.” Something entirely distinct: the years when you create your most significant work.
Now that The Masterwork Years is named, those entering this stage can:
- Recognize where they are
- Claim their place in this stage
- Intentionally identify with their Masterwork
- Experience a belonging place with peers
Name it. Now Claim It for others so understanding becomes shared.