undeniably a gift and, as the only species to have this tool available to us, we have a responsibility to use it consciously. Words afford us the ability to have a proactive
role in the creation and progression of our lives. Imagine a
world where language suddenly became obsolete—talk
about being at a loss for words!
The Law of Attraction
The essence of this book is written around the law of attrac-
tion, meaning that what you send out to the universe
The Gift of Language and Your Conscious Choice for Change 21
through thoughts and intentions, you attract back to you.
For example, if you practice being optimistic and send out
positive energy in any form, you attract more positive energy
to you. Likewise, if you’re more of a pessimist and send out
negative energy, you attract more negative energy. This in-
cludes the thoughts and intentions you put behind the words
you use because many of our thoughts are word-based, not
just imagery.
Steve Pavlina, author of Personal Development for Smart
People and over one thousand articles on personal growth and development, has a life story that perfectly exemplifies successful application of the law of attraction. He hasn’t had a
“real” job since 1992 and enjoys living his passion. Sounds
like he has it all together, but it wasn’t always that way for him. His journey is an extreme one. He went from sitting in
a jail cell facing felony charges to becoming a globally recognized author, speaker, and personal-growth expert. How did
he accomplish such a feat? Solely through changing his think-
ing patterns.
Given his incredible backstory, Pavlina has obviously
learned a lot about the law of attraction and the power of
choice. The best part about life is that we all have choice as the driving force behind our ability to create. Once you become conscious of the fact that your life is based completely
on the choices you make, you can begin to shift your focus
toward making the right choices that make you feel good—
thus, creating the life you desire. The power is in your hands.
If you’re feeling powerless to make changes in your life
for any reason, it’s a choice you’re making for yourself. You
22 The Gift of Language and Your Conscious Choice for Change are feeling powerless because this is the conscious choice you decided upon. By labeling yourself and believing that you are
powerless, you attract situations, people, and things into your awareness that bring about a sense of a loss of power to
change.
Steve Pavlina does a great job of simplifying the law of at-
traction and its relationship to our power of choice:
When you assume 100% responsibility for everything
you’re experiencing in your reality right now—abso-
lutely everything—then you assume the power
to alter your reality by rechanneling your thoughts.
This entire reality is your creation. Feel good about
that. Feel grateful for the richness of your world. And
then begin creating the reality you truly want by mak-
ing decisions and holding intentions. Think about
what you desire, and withdraw your thoughts from
what you don’t want. The most natural, easiest way
to do this is to pay attention to your emotions. Think-
ing about your desires feels good, and thinking about
what you don’t want makes you feel bad. When you
notice yourself feeling bad, you’ve caught your-
self thinking about something you don’t want. Turn
your focus back towards what you do want, and your
emotional state will improve rapidly. As you do this
repeatedly, you’ll begin to see your physical reality
shift too, first in subtle ways and then in bigger leaps.
The Gift of Language and Your Conscious Choice for Change 23
As you can see, the keyword here is “choice,” but the feelings (emotions) we have about that choice provide it with fuel
(whether positive or negative) to affect our lives.
As with anything you choose, the way you feel about the
words you decide to include