The Passion Test by Janet Bray Attwood
The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose

There is a lot of talk about “Finding your life purpose”.
It is said to be so important to live the life for which you have been put on this earth and not miss out on “fulfilling your purpose”.
There were times that I was desperately trying to figure out what this big awesome task was that life was keeping in store for me. Why was it not more clear? How was I supposed to figure out this greatest question of all:”Why have I been put on this earth?” And what if I do not figure it out before I die, has my life then be wasted?

I looked at people who had found and fulfilled their life purpose. People like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and other great names. But how was I ever going to compare to that?
I came to the conclusion that a life “well lived” did not depend on the amount of people who saw you doing it. Perhaps my neighbor was doing an awesome task raising her child. Perhaps that was her life purpose. And maybe she was even fulfilling her life purpose better then Mahatma Gandhi did.

And I have another question: Is there only one life purpose, or can you have 10 or 20 or more? Did you live your life “better” when you fulfill one huge task, which took all your time and energy? Or is it equally valuable to fulfill 20 small tasks?
Is there anybody on this earth who lives for one thing only? I think most of us fulfill the task of being an employer, while being a spouse, while being a parent, while being a friend and so on. I think all of them can be seen as little life purposes. Therefore it would be better to talk about your “life purposes” (I put this in plural now).

But different people are good at different things. I believe that when we all follow our heart, then everything that has to be done on this earth, will be done by someone. I believe that we have all been put on this earth to fulfill our part (our life purposes). To make sure that everything will be done and we do not all choose the same task we have been given “emotions”.

I recently discovered that your emotions are your guide in finding your “life purposes”!

The universe or God gives us guidance through our emotions. You are supposed to do the things that you feel good about. And in doing so it is very important to listen to your OWN feeling. Do not get sidetracked by what other people say you should like or do.
What is it that you feel most good about? What is it that you would do if you were sure you would succeed? What is your passion?

The best book that I have found so far about finding and living your life purpose is the book “The Passion Test”. Do not be mistaken by the title. This book is not just a test, but gives the whole process of telling why following your passion is so important, then getting you inspired, do the test and guide you on how to realize your passion in your life.

I had the honor of meeting the co-author of this book Janet Attwood on the Peace Conference in the Netherlands. She is truly awesome, what a woman. Here is what I wrote just after doing her workshop:

Wowieee, I attended a workshop of Janet Attwood on the Peace Conference in Netherland. In, fact, I attended a few workshops there, but Janet was outstanding. What a wonderful, vibrant and lovely woman.
She wrote the book “The Passion Test” and is truly “walking her talk”. This woman really has Passion (with a capital P) written all over her!

The workshop lasted way to short to capture both Janet’s vibrancy and the passion test. We did a quick version of the passion test which got me passionate like anything to get a hold on the book (well done Janet, hehe).
I really want to get deeper into this topic.

As you all may know I am a happy-go-lucky kinda girl. Janet however takes this one step further: Passion! Yesss, I want to live my life with PASSION.
The quick test that we did in the workshop already got me surprised about my priority passion. In fact I had thought that this website is my number 1 passion, but after the test I had to conclude that this website ends on number 4. Good thing however is that my first 3 passions can very well be combined with this website. They are even pretty much complimentary to each other.

But first I am going to read the book now. Then do the test at a peaceful pace and direct my life more towards living my passions.
The title of the book is “The Passion Test”, but that does not completely cover the content. A title like “Discover your passion, get passionate about it and fulfill it……… a how-to-do guide” might cover the  content to a greater extent (yet is way toooo long, I know, I know).

Okidoki, I’m going to read it and DO it.

I believe (and feel) that life is more fun when you have a goal (a purpose). It is exciting to aim for your goal and it is a great thrill to achieve it. But the most important part of the journey is not the aiming or the achieving. The most important part is “the journey itself”. Life is enjoyed at its best when you savor every step you make on the way to reaching your goal.
The joy of reaching your goal lasts too short to fill your days with joy. To live your life with passion every day is the sure-shot way to enjoy your every step and reach your goal for sure.

Janet says "Your Passions are like breadcrumbs, leading you on to fulfill your life's purpose"
Isn’t it awesome that, to do what you love most, will guide you to find and reach your life's purposes?

I wish you all a passionate and purposeful life.
To order “The Passion Test” click here.
To read more about Janet and her friends, click here.