Writing your Passion List
The first part of The Passion Test is to make a list of your passions, i.e. those things which you love most, which are most important to you, which are most critical to your happiness and well-being. When your passions are clear, then you can create goals which 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.
There is no right or wrong way to write your list. The purpose of the Test is to provide clarity. Whatever way you write the items on your list, what’s important is that YOU know what the item means to you. If you are unclear about what an item means, then reword it so it makes sense to you.
One guideline we suggest is to begin your items with a verb. Living your passions is a process, not a destination, so your lists should reflect that reality.
With love
Janet Bray Attwood
Ps. Sometimes as we are making our own lists, it’s helpful to see the lists others have made. See test results sent to us by Passion Test readers.
Ready to take the first step in discovering your passions?
I have created a 2 minute Passion Assessment that will reveal exactly how to discover your passions and create a life that you love! Taking this quiz is a great start in determining if you are ready to get clarity about your passions and what is important to you
You’ll receive a detailed analysis of your answers that will show you where you stand in living your passions now AND receive instructions for how to take The Passion Test!
My Passion List – E.F. – New York - Our Comments
E.F.’s list is a great example of throwing away the belief, “you have to be realistic.” She has gone for what she truly wants, without worrying about how she’s going to achieve these things and without limiting herself to what most people might think is “possible.”
Then when she completed the Test and narrowed the list down to her top 5, we see a list which reflects what is truly important to her. These five can be defined, described and through attention, given priority in her life. Remember, the Passion Test is about getting clear about those things which thrill your heart, stir your soul and make life really worth living.
“Everything is fun” could have been reworded as “Having fun with everything I do,” and yet that seems to change the meaning slightly. So, we left it as E.F. wrote it. All rules were made to be broken sometimes :).
Initial list:
- Enjoying a perfect relationship
- Having perfect friendships
- Doing great creative work
- Having unlimited physical-world resources
- Feeling and looking great 100% of the time
- Getting great results from what I share
- Having a diversity of choices
- Enjoying abundant ease and comfort between creative activity
- Having knowedge, tools and wisdom to deal with 100% of what I experience
- Everything is fun
Final Top 5 Passions:
- Everything is fun
- Doing great creative work
- Getting great results from what I share
- Having perfect friendships
- Enjoying abundant ease and comfort between creative activity
My Passion List – J.K. – Santa Rosa, CA - Our Comments
Clearly, J.K. loves the creative process of writing and acting. Now it’s about making choices in her life which acknowledge those passions. Life is always a series of choices. Nature responds based on what you do, not based on what you say. Writing down your passions is one thing. They will begin to manifest in your life as you choose in favor of things that allow them to be lived in your life, even when the choice is a tough one.
Initial list:
- Being a successful screenwriter and playwright.
- Being surrounded with successful, whole, happy and supportive people.
- Only working at what I love.
- Being a successful actor.
- Traveling first class everywhere I go.
- Living and traveling with a man who is truly supportive, loving and beneficial to me.
- Living in a beautiful home overlooking the sea in a large acreage of rural land.
- Enjoying excellent health.
- Enjoying excellent food and wine.
- Being rich.
- Writing successful mysteries.
Final Top 5 Passions:
- Being a successful screenwriter and playwright.
- Living and traveling with a man who is truly supportive, loving and beneficial to me
- Being a successful actor.
- Being surrounded with successful, whole, happy and supportive people.
- Writing successful mystery books.
My Passion List – L.J. – Perthshire, Scotland - Our Comments
Clearly, J.K. loves the creative process of writing and acting. Now it’s about making choices in her life which acknowledge those passions. Life is always a series of choices. Nature responds based on what you do, not based on what you say. Writing down your passions is one thing. They will begin to manifest in your life as you choose in favor of things that allow them to be lived in your life, even when the choice is a tough one.
Initial list:
- Supporting Domestic Abuse Survivors to Achieve their dreams
- Having a group of dedicated support workers to help me with my business.
- Traveling and meeting new friends
- Living in Beautiful Home
- Exercising & Eating Healthily
- Being a Millionaire
- Surrounding myself with a support team who is similarly passionate.
- Being a World famous author
- Having an International Business
- Being happy and adventurous
- Being recognized for my work
Final Top 5 Passions:
- Supporting Domestic Abuse Survivors to achieve their dreams
- Surrounding myself with a support team who is similarly passionate.
- Being Recognized for my work.
- Being a millionaire
- Traveling and meeting new friends
My Passion List – D.B. – St. Louis, MO - Our Comments
D.B. provides a wonderful list combining many aspects of being, doing and having. Notice that reading, golfing, going to movies, traveling and gardening ended up on her top 5, while “having fun” did not. No doubt reading, etc. are specific ways she likes to have fun and wants to be able to have fun doing them regularly. For someone else, “having fun” might have ended up on their top 5, and then their one page description of what that means to them could include the other things.
Keep in mind there is no “right” way or “wrong” way to list your passions. The purpose is clarity. So, write them in the way that best helps YOU see what’s really important to you.
Initial list:
- Knowing my passion and living it
- Being in the moment & trusting my intuition
- Having fun
- Multiple streams of income
- Being able to buy or travel anywhere I want – first class
- Learning something new, having an adventure
- Flexible time
- Giving back to the community
- Volunteering at the zoo
- Learning & personal growth
- Reading, golfing, going to movies, traveling, gardening
- Being part of a group or team that is supportive, fun
- Being a Team player
- Empowering or helping others find their passion
- Being confident in my own judgment & decision
- Being true to myself
Final Top 5 Passions:
- Being true to myself
- Empowering or helping others find their passion
- Being confident in my own judgment & decisions
- Reading, golfing, going to movies, traveling, gardening
- Learning something new, having an adventure
My Passion List – L.B. – London England - Our Comments
L.B. has written her top 5 with Janet’s suggestion for beginning and ending them with affirmations. “This or something better!” recognizes that we may not yet have the complete answer about how we can best live our destiny. After taking the Passion Test you will go about living your life, hopefully making the choices which make your passions more a part of your life. As you have your attention on the things which you believe are truly important to you, you’ll gain a deeper understanding about those things. Next time you take the Passion Test you will have even more clarity about what is truly important in your life and what it means to you. Take the Passion Test at least every six months and you will discover life just seems to get better and better!
One note: L.B. changed the wording of one of her list, “Working the Certain Way” to Developing my income via Certain Way principles. We recommend getting the wording right when you make your list of ten, so the final five should be worded the same way. Then write out what each one means for you to get greater clarity.
Initial list:
- Working from home
- Having Eli as team mate
- Earning £8k a month after tax
- Having a home in the Lakes
- Working the Certain Way
- Taking trips around Uk / Ireland
- Having a Honda 4 wheel purple car
- Having a lean body
- Walking, cycling, horse riding, swimming mini tramping.
- Taking 1st class long Chile and Canada holidays.
Final Top 5 Passions:
- Working at home
- Developing my income via Certain Way principles
- Earning £8k clear per month.
- Having a lean body
- Having Eli as a “Team Mate”
My Passion List – L.W. – Jackson, MS - Our Comments
L.W. has written her list as statements of how she is living her life. This is a powerful way to describe your passions, even if you have not yet fully realized your passions. You begin to create the intention in the subconscious mind about how you intend to live your life, and you will begin to see that showing up more and more, as long as you continue to have these passions in your awareness.
Initial list:
- I am walking in the Spirit …I am seeking first the Kingdom of GOD and HIS righteousness.
- I am a Giver. I live to give. I make my living by giving.
- I have loving relationships especially with my husband and my children.
- I am Free to be me…and I am in control of my thoughts and my life.
- We have the peace of God. We are living debt free. We owe no man or woman but to love them.
- I am using my unique gift of creativity to complete my journey and my purpose in life.
- I am owner of my time. I am free to determine my schedule.
- I am doing what I can to pursue justice and equality for all.
- I am having fun, and I am fun to be with…enjoying every day life and giving love wherever I go. When I walk into a room it just gets brighter. God is with me. I use my humor to bring joy to everyone…everywhere
- I am teaching and encouraging others how to determine their goals and their passions. My mess has become my message.
- I am using my unique gift of creativity, and giving to make my living. My business called Illuminations is producing huge mind boggling multiple streams of income. God is with me.
- I am operating now, and the founder of an outreach and information center called ILLUM-A-Nation which also employs my family.
- I work with and surround myself with teams of loving faith filled believers who have the vision to change their worlds.
Final Top 5 Passions:
- I am walking in the Spirit I am seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
- I have loving relationships, especially with my husband my children, and my family.
- We have the peace of God. We are debt free. WE owe no man or woman but to love them.
- I am using my unique gift of creativity, and giving to make my living. My business called Illuminations is producing huge mind boggling multiple streams of income. God is surely with me.
- I am having fun, and I am fun to be with…enjoying every day life and giving love wherever I go. When I walk into a room it just gets brighter. God is with me. I use my humor to bring joy to everyone…everywhere.
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