OUCH! That Hurts! Life’s Problems: Opportunities for Growth
by Polly Lunetto

Remember the old nursery rhyme “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names/words will never hurt me?” Generation after generation, most of us in this country have been raised on this belief. If you are open to it, I’d like to offer another perspective to consider. Words can generate the flow of manifestation to your advantage or disadvantage. You are in control as to how you want your life to flow. You are in control of what your thoughts are and what you choose to believe.  

To demonstrate this, I’d like to share a personal story with you. A few years ago, my husband surprised me with a beautiful car for my birthday. Most of the younger population we were in contact with expressed their admiration for the car by saying, “That’s so sick.” This was and maybe still is a slang expression that conveys approval of something. At the time, my kids convinced me to get a personalized license plate. After careful consideration, I decided to choose a phonetic version of “so sick.” I searched and searched different spellings that were available through the DMV and settled for a spelling that was surprisingly available.

I waited and waited in anticipation to receive my personalized plates. About the same time, a lot of attention was being paid to a huge phenomenon that was sweeping the nation. The emphasis was on attracting what you want into your life. I was on board in a heartbeat. I bought the DVD, books and even added my name to the company’s mailing list. I wanted what they were offering and was excited to get started.

As time went on, I started to understand and practice the concepts. It reminded me of the earlier teachings of one of my supervisors and dear friend. I began reapplying these once forgotten lessons to my everyday life. Everything started to make sense and things began to shift in my life. Shortly thereafter, I received a notice from the Department of Motor Vehicles informing me that my new personalized plates had arrived.

My family was excited about me picking up the plates, but I procrastinated. Knowing that my personality is more on the low-key side, they all said, “I knew you wouldn’t drive around town with that personalized plate.” I remained silent and let them think what they wanted. Inside, I secretly wondered why I was procrastinating. As I pondered my hesitation, I gained insight as to why I didn’t want to follow through with my original plan. I came to an understanding that if I allowed that personalized license plate with the phonetic spelling of “so sick” into my life, then I may also be consciously inviting illness into my life. I wasn’t taking any chances.  

The possibility of this coming to be is due to the universal laws of attraction and our birthright to freewill. Each of us has the ability to choose how we think about a person, situation or event and what words we choose to express the emotion that is generated.
You see, words and thoughts have the power to manifest in productive or unproductive ways.

Clients are often taken aback when they hear their own story being reflected back to them. Most are unaware of the words they use to describe their thoughts, beliefs and experiences.  The good news is that while sticks and stones can break your bones, you now have a choice as to whether names and words will or won’t harm you.

The key is to address the fact that there is something needing your attention. Once you acknowledge this, an action plan can then be developed. It is up to you how you choose to handle it from that point on. That’s freewill! Often times, people leave out the key component of addressing reality. Some misunderstand the concept and believe that if they just “think positive” then everything will be okay. While positive thinking is definitely beneficial and productive, it doesn’t end there, because solutions are needed for life’s opportunities for growth. Some refer to these opportunities as “problems or crisis.”

So, rather than saying “I’m sick of  ______ or I don’t like ______” say something like, “This situation is challenging, but I’m going to work through it and this is how I plan on going about it.” Get the idea?

Here are six steps to help you take advantage of your opportunities:

1. Acknowledge the opportunity for growth (the seeming problem).
2. Make a conscious effort to pay attention to the emotions that arise and acknowledge them. If you gotta cry, then cry. Feel it, express it (constructively) and let it go. Holding on to negative emotions can be detrimental to your well-being.
3. Make a conscious decision to shift your thoughts and words to those that are more productive and nurturing to your whole self – mind, body and spirit.
4. Devise an action plan and DO the steps it takes to create a better outcome.
5. Let a trusted friend, coworker or loved one know that you are making a change for the better and ask them to “catch you” when you are verbalizing negative thoughts or words. As you begin to shift and your energy becomes more naturally positive, they’ll want to join you. Before long, it becomes a game you’ll want to continue playing. You will also begin to notice it being somewhat challenging to be around those who carry around negative energy. At that point, you decide to let go of that which no longer serves you.
6. Most importantly, be forgiving of yourself and others. And remember to be kind, nurturing and loving to your beautiful self. Happy Shifting!

Polly Lunetto is an Intuitive Life Coach. She not only understands what you are saying but, more importantly, what you aren’t saying. Polly can also assist you with Energy & Shamanic Healing. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the areas of human behavior and uncovering the underlying issues that lead to spiritual imbalance and /or illness.  Polly can be reached at….