The Passion Test (the Effortless Path to discovering Your Destiny) by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood    ISBN: 978-1-84737-146-1 www.thepassiontest.com

This book I would highly recommend to anyone who is feeling dissatisfied in any way with their lives and where they are at, at the moment.  I believe that so often we jump into jobs or situations because it is what is expected of us, or current circumstances, and then we hang on in an industry or position or circumstance, and we often have a sense that this is really not what we were meant to be doing.  You will know this to be true if you ever feel dissatisfied, or unhappy, frustrated, angry, etc.

This is a brilliant book and as mentioned I would highly recommend that you get it. I have only taken out The Passion Test. Like the authors who say:-  “Clarity is critical to success.  Clarity leads to power – the power to act – which is the basis of achievement, fulfillment, and happiness in life;” I believe that if you don’t identify those things that bring you joy then it is so easy to merely exist in an unfulfilled life, through which you find yourself struggling a lot. And this applies to most areas of your life …

This Passion Test has been used extensively around the world and Janet and Chris have taken it into the lives of thousands of people who have been able to turn their lives around. It is recommended that you come back to the test about every six months. Your Passions will/may change and things that are very important for you today may be different in 6 or 12 or 60 months time. Once you have identified your Passions – what really brings you joy – then when circumstances arise you have the ability to choose towards what brings you joy.
Don’t worry about the “how” only get clarity on your Passions!
The following are excerpts from this book and leading into The Passion Test.

“The number one reason people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want”. … 
 “What does it mean to live a passionate life? Exciting, fulfilling, thrilling, on fire, purposeful, turned on, motivated, entertaining, easy, fun, and unstoppable.”

“What is Personal Destiny – do you have one?  Of course you do. We all do. Think about it. Not one person on the planet is exactly like anyone else. You are unique. You have unique gifts that no one but you can give. You have those gifts because you have a special role to play in the world that requires giving those gifts.   …When you are playing that role, you are living your personal destiny. When you are aligned with your destiny, your life is joyful, delightful, exciting and fulfilling ….  Your passions are the loves of your life. They are the things that are most deeply important to you. These are the things that, when you’re doing them or talking about them, light you up.

“The brain is very happy when you’re focused on what you love. The more you focus on what you truly love and desire, the volume gets turned down in those parts of the limbic system where the destructive emotions of fear, anger, depression and anxiety are controlled. This allows you to think more clearly.  You also turn up the volume in other parts of the limbic system that generate positive emotions. When this happens you get a release of dopamine, endorphins and a variety of stress-reducing hormones and neurotransmitters. The more you focus on what you truly love, the healthier you are likely to be, and the more you will feel the positive effects of those stress-reducing neurochemicals in your body and mind …. You actually get kind of a double whammy. You can have a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions when you align yourself with what you believe is most important to you….

When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, and only to the extent that you are clear.

Passion Test Guidelines.
The first part of the Passion Test is to make a list of your passions; i.e. those things that you love most, are most important to you, and are most critical to your happiness and well-being.
As you prepare your initial list of passions, play full-out – no holding back. Write down at least ten or as many as fifteen or more things that you absolutely love.

What you are after here are your passions, not your goals. Passions are how you live your life. Goals are the things you choose to create in your life. For example, one of Jack’s (Canfield of the Chicken Soup for the Soul fame) passions is “being a multimillionaire.” Even if Jack wasn’t already a multimillionaire, his passion would be stated as “being a multimillionaire.” However, he may have a goal to earn $2M in the next year.

What’s the difference? A passions is how you choose to live your life. Jack chooses to live life as a multimillionaire. A goal is something you aim to achieve. The goal could be stated as “to earn $2M within the next year.”
When your passions are clear you can create goals that are aligned with your passions and begin to create the life you choose to live. Both passions and goals are valuable, and the first step is getting clear on your passions. Think about what you will do, be, and have when your life is ideal.
…begin each passion with a verb that expresses how you are living life when your life is ideal.
Some examples of passions from some of our students…

• Living in a beautiful home in which I feel completely at peace
• Writing successful mystery novels
• Working in a nurturing environment with lots of plants and light
• Enjoying perfect health with lots of energy, stamina, and vitality
• Having fun with everything I do
• Spending lots of quality time with my family
• Enjoying great sex on a regular basis
• Working with a supportive team of people who share my values

What if your passions are altruistic, like having a peaceful world or eliminating poverty on earth or eradicating disease? …   Remember, passions are how you live your life. Goals are things that you achieve. … Living a life of peace could be a passion. Creating peace in the world is a goal. Living life in abundance could be a passion. Eliminating poverty on earth is a goal. …  Now, could someone have a passion for eliminating poverty on earth or ending world hunger? Absolutely. Lynne Twist, a member of the Transformation Leadership Council, is a great example. Lynne spent many years as a fund-raiser and leader of the Hunger Project, an international organization that has had a huge impact in eliminating world hunger. Lynne’s passion was working to end world hunger. The goal of the Hunger Project is to end world hunger.  …  Passions are about process. Goals are about outcomes.

Loves and Talents: Clues to Your Unique Gifts.
What do you love to do? What kind of environment do you love to be in? What kind of people do you love to be around? What excites you, turns you on, gets you charged up? The answers to these questions all provide clues to your purpose. Here’s another set of clues:  What are you good at? What do people compliment you on? What do you seem to do better than most others? What are your unique skills and talents?

Beware the Mind.
If that is all there is to it, why do so many people fail to fulfill their life’s purpose? Because your mind tends to trick you! The mind is like a monkey, jumping here and there and everywhere.  … First it’s running toward something enticing; then it’s running away from something scary. Your mind will even try to convince you, in the name of safety and security, that your life’s purpose is something less than it really is. … For example, many people tell us their passion is to make lots of money. But some of them have no attraction to things that have to do with money, making money, or creating more money. These people may have a passion for service or a passion for their family or a passion for being in nature. There is nothing about making money, per se that attracts them turns them on, or gets them excited. When we talk to them what we discover is they don’t care so much about having lots of money as they do about feeling the freedom to do the things they love. …  It’s not necessary to have lots of money to have that freedom. For example, Mother Teresa had complete freedom to do the things she loved, yet she never had lots of money. The same is true of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. … On the other hand, we’ve met some people (Harv Eker comes to mind) who have a burning passion to make lots of money combined with a passion to help lots of people at the same time. There is nothing that can stop those people from making money. They are so focused on making lots of money that there’s no way it can’t show up. …

A Few Other Guidelines worth Mentioning.

• Don’t consult with anyone. This is about the things that light your fire. Go deep inside and connect with the things that are truly most important to you.
• Don’t take the test as a couple. Do the process on your own. Later, if you choose, you can share your passions with your spouse or partner. If you really, really, really want to do it together, then each of you prepare your own initial list and afterward take each other through The Passion Test Process. If you do this, don’t try to influence your partner’s choices. It’s their Test. If you don’t like their choices, then think about whether you can love them enough to want for them what they want for themselves.
• We recommend you take the Test in one sitting. It should only take twenty to thirty minutes unless you aren’t at all clear about what things are most important to you; then it could take a little longer.
• If possible, take the Test in a quiet environment, without distractions. This is a process of going deep within to those things that mean most to you in your life. You won’t find them when you’re stirred up or having to pay attention to other things.
• Write short, clear sentences. Avoid combining several passions in one, such as “I am enjoying my ideal relationship, traveling the world first class, and living in a beautiful home overlooking the ocean.” Break each passion down and list it separately; i.e. “I am enjoying my ideal relationship.” “I am traveling the world first class.” “I am living in a beautiful home overlooking the ocean.”

The Passion Test is a tool to help you understand the key success elements for you to live a happy, fulfilled life. It is very personal. Your five will not be exactly the same as anyone else’s. Just remember, happy, successful people have all five of their top passions present in their life. The Passion Test will help you identify your top five and put you on the road to a fulfilling life.

Passion Test Instructions.
Step One.
First, make a list of at least ten of the most important things you can think of that would give you a life of joy, passion and fulfillment. Begin each one with a verb relating to being, doing or having, which completes the sentence:-
            When my life is ideal, I am……………………………….
Close your eyes and picture your ideal life. What are you doing? Who are you with? Where are you? How do you feel?
Now make your list and know that this is just your first list. If you follow our advice and take the Test every six months, you’ll be doing this many, many times over the coming years, getting clearer every time. Don’t censor. You don’t need to know the how, just the what.
            Make your list now – at least ten (and as many as you want):
1.
2.
3.
Etc.
Let your list sit for a while. Come back to it in a few hours or tomorrow.
Step Two.
When you return to your list, use the following steps to compare the items and identify which are the most important to you.

• If you had to choose between having the first passion on your list and the second, which would you choose? Keep in mind that in making your choice you are not losing anything. Comparing the two items as if you could only have one of them is necessary to help you get in touch with what is most deeply important to you. In real life you can certainly have both  ………..
• Continue comparing the one you choose with the next number until you go through the whole list, and then label the one you chose as number 1. For example, if you compared the first item on the list to the second, and you chose the second, then you would next compare the second item to the third. If you again chose the second item, then you’d compare the second item to the fourth and so on, always comparing your choice to the next item on the list. …   Keep in mind that if you compare 1 to 2 and choose 1, then compare 1 to 3 and choose 3, you don’t need to go back and compare 3 to 2. You already know that 1 is more important than 2, and if 3 is more important than 1, then 3 is also, by definition, more important than 2.
• Start again, and compare each item that remains (don’t include the ones you’ve already chosen), always keeping the one that’s more important. When you get to the end of the list, label the remaining choice 2. Go through the list again and label the remaining choice 3, and so on until you identify your five most important passions.
• If you get stuck and can’t decide which item is more important, then ask yourself, “If I could be, do, or have 1 and never do 2, or if I could be 2 and never be, do or have 1, which one matters most to me?” By stating your choice clearly as an either/or choice, you will gain the deepest insights. Avoid saying, “They are both equally important to me.” In our experience, this is just a lack of clarity. Go deeper.
• Most people find that their first impulse is the most accurate. Passion arises from the heart, and your heart’s impulse is more likely to be closer to the truth than your mind’s analysis.
• Be honest. Don’t worry if your choices aren’t what others think they should be. You don’t have to show this list to anyone else. This is about what lights your fire, right now. The more closely aligned you are with what you truly love, the happier and more fulfilled you will be. The happier you are, the more attractive you will be to those you love and cherish. As a great teacher once said, “Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things toward you.”
• Avoid the temptation to get to an item on your list that seems really important and to say, “Oh, that’s number one, so I don’t need to go through the rest of the list.” We can’t begin to tell you how many times we have taken people through the Test, had them say, “I know without going through this process what my number one passion is,” only to discover that things changed as they went through the complete list. So go through the comparison process with every item on your list for all five of your top passions.
• Don’t be surprised if the choices you make change each time you go through the list. When you are simple and innocent, going through the process without holding on to any agenda, your mind and heart will go deeper each time you go through the list. As this happens, it’s not unusual for your choices to change as you continue. If you want to get an idea of what some others have written for the Passion Test, go to: http://www.thepassiontest.com/results.  (Lin’s comment – really worth a visit here – the examples could bring clarity for you.)

Dr Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman, the neuroscientists who authored Born to Believe, gave some advice worth keeping in mind as you take The Passion Test. “When we introduce a new idea into the brain, there’s going to be an interesting confusion and cognitive dissonance at first. It may feel uncomfortable. The brain doesn’t necessarily like new ideas, especially if they conflict with older beliefs that you’ve embraced in the past. So if you spent years nurturing low self- esteem and you suddenly decide to introduce the notion that you are truly a wonderful person, two neural circuits must compete: the old memory and the new idea.

“When something new comes in, the brain goes into an alert state. The Amygdala is saying, ’Wake up, pay attention, there’s something different happening in my body or the world. Is it safe or dangerous?’ People will need to sift through this period of discomfort as they realign their lives with their passions. “One very interesting neurological finding suggests that you can only hold about seven chunks of information in consciousness at one time. When more information comes in, the brain filters out those elements it deems unimportant. So, if you try to hold on to too many ideas, desires, or goals at one time, the brain says ‘This is too much. I can only keep so much in focus.’
“In our opinion, from a neuroscientific point of view, The Passion Test process is very important because it will help keep you focused on those things that matter most to you. The clearer you become about what you truly love and desire, the stronger your conscious intention becomes, and this helps the rest of your brain respond in an organized way. And another comment from Dr Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman, the neuroscientists who authored Born to Believe:-“The more you give attention to a particular belief, the stronger those neural connections in your brain become. When you focus on the positive aspects of your life, those neural pathways become stronger, and that becomes increasingly true for you. Putting attention on negative beliefs about yourself or your environment will similarly result in stronger neural connections, and those beliefs, in turn, will become more and more true for you. It literally becomes your inner reality, and that, of course, is going to influence the outer reality as well.
The authors continue:-
“You are constantly creating your life. We all are. We create our life out of the things to which we give our attention. And you attract into your life more of what you put attention on. … If your attention is on all the things you don’t have, all the problems in your life, all the bad things that are happening to you, then you are creating more of that. … If you want more problems, more challenges, more unhappiness, then give attention to those things. If you want more passion, fulfillment and joy in your life, then give your attention to the things that create those feelings.  …  Out of fear, people focus on what they don’t want. They’re afraid they won’t have enough money or they’ll get sick or there will be a disaster. One of our favourite sayings is, “Fear is vividly imaging exactly what you don’t want to happen, happening.” …  Focusing on what you don’t want is a habit. Whenever you notice that you are focusing on something in a negative way, just say “cancel;” and replace that thought with something you choose to create.  …  Let’s try it right now. Close your eyes. Imagine something you fear could happen to you. As soon as it appears say “cancel” and shift your attention to the opposite. Isn’t that just as likely? You can shift your life just that easily.  …  Because of those neural pathways Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg were talking about, these fearful thoughts may continue to come up for a while. Just keep canceling those thoughts and replacing them with their opposites. With a little time new neural pathways will be created and your experience will change.

Your Passion Score.
Would you like a simple way to discover where you’ve been putting your attention up until now? Okay, you’ve twisted our arms, here it is.
Go through the top five passions you identified from your Passion Test and rate each one on a scale of 0 to 10. Zero means you’re not living that passion in your life at all. Ten means you are fully living it.
Go ahead and do that now.

Did you notice any significant differences in the scores? Most people do.
The passions that have low scores are the ones you haven’t given as much attention to. The passions with high scores have received a lot of your attention.  …  Could it happen hat you think you’ve been giving a lot of attention to something and the score is still low? Possibly! If you think that’s the case, look carefully at where your attention has really been.  …  For example, suppose one of your passions is to own a multi-million dollar business. You’ve been working on your business for several years, and it’s still just getting by, barely supporting you. Doesn’t sound like a 10 does it?  …  So you say, “I’ve been putting lots of attention on my business, and it’s still just getting by.”  …  Go back and think about where you have really been putting your attention. Has your attention been fully focused on the value you are providing to your customers? Have you been fully focused on treating each customer with honour and respect so they go away grateful for having the chance to do business with you? Have you been putting your attention on all the successes and profits that are flowing to you?  …  Or has your attention gone to all the bills you have to pay? Or how unreasonable some customers are? Or how little you have left over at the end of the month? Or how deeply in debt you are? When we say, “What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life,” we don’t mean that putting attention on something in some generalised, fuzzy, nonspecific way will make the things you want appear in your life. We mean what you give attention to, every moment of every day, day in and day out, determines what is created in your life.  …  If your attention is on all the things you can’t have and can’t do, then you won’t have them and you won’t be able to do them. If your attention is on the benefits,  blessings, and good fortune flowing into your life, then you will find more and more of those things showing up.  …  If you are really honest with yourself, you will discover that where you put your attention is creating the results you are experiencing in your life. 

The great news is that where you place your attention is primarily a habit. Given about twenty-one days of consistently applying a new behaviour, you can change any habit. All that is required is the will to make the change. 
If you find you’re having trouble changing the habit of thinking about the problems, difficulties, or challenges in your life, here’s another useful technique.  …  Get a rubber band and put it on your wrist. Wear it seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, for at least thirty days. Every time you have a thought that you know is not creating what you want in your life, pull the rubber band away from your wrist and let it snap back against your skin. Ouch!  …  Yes, you’ll feel it. And that tactile reminder will help train your mind that these types of thoughts don’t serve you.  … Do this for a month and you’ll find you have taken a big step in breaking the habit of putting your attention on things that create unhappiness and failure in your life.

Your Passion Cards
Since you’re now committed to keeping your attention on your passions, we’ll share a proven method for creating whatever you want in your life. Some years ago when we were partners with Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen, Janet was in Phoenix, Arizona, at an event where the well-known motivational speaker Bob Proctor was presenting. She tells the story:“One of the first things Bob said when he got up to speak was, “Do you know how easy it is to be wealthy? I currently have more than four hundred streams of income – and it’s all because of this little card.”
He reached into his coat, withdrew a file card, and showed it to the group. It said, “I am thankful and happy for the following …” and it listed his five goals in order of priority. Bob explained that the mind is like a computer: Whatever you input into the mind has to get printed out or show up in your universe sooner or later. Most people spend their time putting their attention on what they lack instead of what they choose to create, and so they get more lack.
Holding up his small card, Bob had an infectious smile on his face when he said to the group, “One of the most important parts of my day is spent looking at this little card.” He explained that he put file cards with his goals in strategic places so he could easily glance at them from time to time during the day. As soon as one goal was fulfilled, he replaced it with a new one.“It’s that easy,” he said. Back to the authors:-  Now it’s time to put Bob’s advice into practice as applied to your passions.  …  Get a number of three-by-five-inch cards. Write your passions on each card like this:

What was that last little line at the bottom?  …  “This or something better!”  In our experience the universe almost always has a better plan in mind for us than what we can think up, as long as we’re open to receive it.

Whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision, or an opportunity, choose in favour of your passions.

The purpose of these cards is to keep your attention easily on your passions. You don’t have to study the cards. You don’t have to concentrate on them. You don’t have to create plans to figure out how to live them (although there is nothing wrong with that when you feel inspired). The critical thing is to choose in favour of your passions whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision, or an opportunity. …  What you need to do is read through your passions several times a day so they become deeply ingrained. So deeply ingrained that whenever you are faced with a decision you can ask yourself, “is this going to help me be more aligned with my passions or less aligned?”  …  Writing out your Passion Cards and posting them is your most important first step in creating your passionate life. So, go post your cards now and be open to receive the unexpected in your life.
As mentioned this is a brilliant book, with many more chapters, each one adding value – and recommended reading.
It is also recommended that you come back to this test about every 6 months – as once you get going, you will find that the needs and desires you currently have are changing.

Good luck!  You’re on your way to a new, exciting and fulfilling life.  Lin.