Turning Pain Into Purpose
Updated: May 2, 2022
Written by: Connie Costa, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As she lay on the hospital bed, confused, in pain, and severely depressed, she didn't even have the strength to pick up her phone. Instead, she asked a nurse to help her grab her phone so that she could see her messages, and when she did, YouTube randomly opened, and a video appeared that would change her life forever.
Weeks before, Anna was enjoying her pregnancy when she went to the Doctor for a routine checkup. Trusting her Doctor, she agreed to take a medication that he said was necessary.
A few days later, her worst nightmare began; Anna started to feel ill and eventually fell into a coma. The Doctor had given her the wrong medication. The hospital personnel had to give her husband the terrible news that their baby girl didn't make it and that it wasn't looking good for Anna either.
Her husband prayed, her family prayed, and they begged to spare Anna's life. Outside the hospital, a thunderstorm began. Her devastated husband couldn't help but weep. Days later, the impossible happened. Anna awoke from the coma. Their prayers were answered, and what was about to happen was nothing short of a miracle.
"Can you please help me with my phone?" Anna asked the nurse. As she handed Anna the phone and turned it on for her, YouTube opened, and a random video appeared. It was a tutorial on how to create shabby chic furniture. Intrigued, Anna kept watching. Then another popped up, then another. She watched them all. She couldn't get enough. Anna spent the following months watching every video she could on turning old furniture into beautiful shabby chic works of art.
Feeling confident with this newfound knowledge, she decided she would give it a shot herself once out of the hospital. Her husband bought used furniture for her, and she would refurbish it. She suddenly felt alive again. Anna was unstoppable. Working on the furnishings gave her a purpose. Although she was a newbie, it seemed as if she had been doing this work for years. "I know my baby girl in heaven works through me!" Anna told me. "I have no doubt. I often ask her to help me with a particular piece, and suddenly I create something I know I couldn't have done on my own. I channel her regularly!"
Hence, "Mani D'Angelo" (Hands of an Angel) was born. Anna is now incredibly passionate about purchasing old furniture and bringing it "back to life." She creates beautiful, unique masterpieces. "Through me, they are born again!" Anna told me. As I sat in her office, it was hard for me to decide which pieces I wanted for my new home, "I'll take them all!" Half joking around and half-serious. These pieces are simply stunning. I can feel Anna's love, passion, and dedication through each piece. I want that type of energy in my home.
So, what's the point of all this? Everything. This is precisely what I'm passionate about teaching. This is what I live for. This is why I got into coaching in the first place. My passion is to teach people to turn their pain into PURPOSE. Anna gets it. She is very aware of this and describes it beautifully. As painful as her experience was, Anna says that she knows there was a purpose for it. Her mission, talent, and gift came from that horrible experience, and now she gets to, ironically, constantly give birth to her masterpieces.
One of the main questions I get from my clients is, "how do I know what my life purpose is?" I have them go through several exercises, but I'm also aware that we all know our purpose is deep inside. We need to be more honest with ourselves and put the fear aside. The main point I go over with my clients is asking them what the tremendous pain in their life was. Because I know that from our most significant pain comes our "why" and our purpose. There are no mistakes. There are no coincidences. There is an order to things, and if we can have the attitude that things happen "for" us instead of "to" us, we live a much happier life.
It's not easy. I'm very aware of that. I've gone through excruciating moments in my life and didn't think I could get through, nor could I see at the moment how they could turn into blessings. But they did—all of them. One of the best exercises we can do is look back at our life and reflect upon all the "negative" moments in our life. Ask yourself, "what were the blessings that came from this? How would my life be different today had this not happened?" You will be amazed. Dr. John Demartini suggests we write down as many blessings as possible until we have tears of gratitude for the "negative" experience.
We live in a society that doesn't agree with this mentality. We believe it's normal to be in therapy for 30 years, constantly talking about our negative experiences, how things should be different, and how we're victims. And people everywhere agree. I don't. As a coach, it's my job to listen, be compassionate, and assist in the healing, but to then TRANSFORM those painful experiences into some magical shit just like Anna did. On her own. Without a life coach.
Her faith in God was such that she trusted him and his plan. It's not that she didn't feel pain. She did. Her pain seemed unbearable. However, she saw beyond that and realized that she got inspired to create from that. Imagine if we were all like Anna. Imagine all the beautiful things we would create and all the people we would serve.
If you're ever in Sicily, Italy, do yourself a favor and visit Anna. Buy a piece from her so that whenever you admire that piece in your home, you can be reminded of what it looks like to turn your pain into purpose.
Connie Costa, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Connie Costa is a Holistic Life Coach, Sicily Wellness Retreat Leader, International Speaker, and Published Writer who assists people in pursuing their life's purpose. She graduated from Antioch University with a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and is a certified Life Coach by the Holistic Life Coaching Foundation.
Connie is an expert at identifying her client's passions, gifts, and talents and converting them into the career of their dreams! She has coached countless clients in taking risks in order to pursue their life's purpose and become powerful manifestors in their life. Connie has produced and hosted major transformational events, coached numerous holistic business groups, and has spoken in front of thousands.
Connie leads Spiritual & Wellness Retreats in both the U.S and Sicily, Italy.
Connie's motto is "fall in-love with fear so you can marry success!"
