Good time of year to re-take the Passion Test

This is just a healthy thing to do for yourself that need not take long. How does it relate to referrals? Motivation. I find the people who get the most referrals are the hungriest ones who are consistent and follow through.  When you know the Big Picture in your life, the drive you have for your business gets clearer and therefore easier.

I wrote about this in January; it’s time to do it again.

If you’re serious about making 2008 your best year so far, why would you continue on without being crystal clear about what you are truly passionate about? 

 One of the reasons why only a few people really get what they want in life is because they are willing to pause and do some homework on it. Most people think they’re too busy but they are not spending time on what is most important. Are you sure you are?

The Passion Test was written by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood. They got the idea at a goal-setting seminar when the speaker mentioned that a survey of one hundred of the most renowned and affluent people in the USA had found only one thing in common: that they had all achieved the five things that they believed were most necessary for their ideal life. Have you?

Its premise is simple.

1.  Make a list of 10-15 responses to the statement: When my life is ideal, I am:

You might respond with:
Living by a lake in a beautiful home
Spending every evening at home with my children
Enjoying financial freedom

2. Prioritize your top 5

Wait at least a few hours before doing this step to allow things in your brain to simmer. Then do this by asking yourself: if I could have #1 before I die but not #2, which would I choose? Repeat until you have a top 5. The outcomes may surprise you.

3. Create 5 markers for each passion

These are statements that define what has happened for you to reach your passion. So using example #1 (the home), it could include: I enjoy the five bedrooms, I love living on the shore of Lake Geneva, I delight in the x0,000 square feet etc.

4. Create a vision board

The vision board is made up of pictures of what you want your future to look like. Put it somewhere highly visible. I once heard someone tell a story about this concept when he first started in business. He cut out a picture of his dream home and put it on his fridge door. 16 years later he moved into it.

5. Repeat the Passion Test every six months.

Why? Because of change and because our self-awareness can always be growing. It’s a way to check in and ask: Am I really being true to myself?

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