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Thu, 10/11/2007

The Passion Test by Chris Attwood:

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Today we head for Phoenix, Arizona on The Passion Test – Reclaim Your Power Tour after getting a wonderful response in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Yesterday we received the news that when The New York Times bestseller list is published during the week of October 21^st, The Passion Test will be #8 in the How-To and Advice category! How cool is that?

One of the questions that has been coming up as we travel is, what do you do about the mundane, practical things one has to do in one’s life? How do you become passionate about those?

The answer is always the same, “Whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision or an opportunity, choose in favor of your passions.”

This simple sentence contains the key to living a passionate life. There is no choice that is too small to be exempt from this rule, if you have a question about whether it is connecting you to your passions.

I remember when Janet and I were on our way back from speaking at one of Jack Canfield’s advanced trainings. We had dropped off our rental car and as the shuttle that took us to the airport drove away, I realized I had left my suitcase on it.

I tried and tried to get that suitcase back, but it seemed impossible. Nothing worked.

Finally, the time came when my flight was about to leave. I had to make a decision—stay and wait for the suitcase, or get on the plane and leave my suitcase in L.A.

So, I thought, “What does it mean to choose in favor of my passions in this situation?”

My #2 passion is having fun with everything I do. That night I had a teleconference to lead. I knew that if I got on the plane, at home I had everything I needed to prepare for and do that teleconference easily and comfortably. If I stayed in L.A., I would have to scurry around to find Internet access and a phone, and the other things I needed for the call. That did not sound like much fun.

My #5 passion is living a life of abundance on every level. I thought to myself, “Which makes me feel more abundant, getting on the plane and not worrying about the suitcase, or waiting in the midst of the L.A. airport trying to locate my suitcase?” The answer was obvious. I went immediately up and got on my plane as it was boarding.

I ended up having a great day, a wonderful teleconference, and the next day something surprising happened. Continental Airlines (which was not the airline I had flown on) called and said the police had brought them a suitcase with my name on it. What would I like to do with it?

I asked if they could send it to me on the next plane. They checked and a few hours later I had my suitcase.

This was not a life changing decision, but it illustrates the principles Janet and I have learned over and over again:

1) Choosing in favor of your passions often requires courage – I had to be willing to accept the fact that I might never see my suitcase again.

2) Miracles often happen when you choose in favor of your passions and you can’t predict how things will work out – There is no way I could have figured out how my suitcase would get to me. I had to be willing to get on the plane and let go of the suitcase completely. When I did that, somehow the suitcase found its way back to me.

It does take courage to live a passionate life. It doesn’t necessarily require jumping off a cliff today. Begin by making small decisions that favor your passions, every day. Before you know it, you will discover that every part of your life is becoming exciting, interesting and so much fun.

www.thepassiontest.com

View more information on The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Destiny

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