You have discovered your top 5 passions after taking The Passion Test in the last few issues. So now what? How does knowing your passions help you live a passionate, purposeful life?There are 3 keys to living a passionate life. They are:

1. Intention: Consciously choosing what you want
2. Attention: Putting your energy, time and resources toward that which you intend to create
3. No Tension: Doing your part and then letting go of attachment to the outcome

Intention is deciding what it is you want most. This is about gaining clarity around what is most important to you right now, and is the step outlined in a previous issue when you wrote down your passions and prioritized your top 5 passions.Once you know what you desire to create, it is time to put your attention on creating it. “What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life,” says Janet Attwood, co-author of the NY Times best-selling book The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose. It is vital that you focus on what you DO want, not what you don’t want. For example, if you want a loving relationship with your spouse, you would focus on the qualities you love about him rather than the things he does that you find annoying. Sometimes, this can be a challenge, especially since our society tends to focus on the “negative.” For example, there tends to be more news about violence and crime than about peace and compassion even though there are many acts of kindness happening each day. The more we put our focus on corruption and drama, the more we tend to see it unfolding in our lives. The same is true when we look for the good in others; the more we put our attention on the stranger who rescues someone from a burning car, or the friend who brings us food when we are too sick to care for ourselves, the more we notice when people are compassionate and generous. As Wayne Dyer, author of “I Can See Clearly Now” and “The Art of Manifesting: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way”, says, “You’ll see it when you believe it.”What does your ideal life look like when you are living your passions? Keep your focus on that. Does that mean it will work out exactly how you picture it? Not necessarily, but you are much more likely to begin to create the life you envision if you keep it in sight than if you worry about the things you don’t want to have happen. An added bonus is that we tend to be happier when we focus on the things we love than when we focus on what we don’t like or fear.Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of The Chicken Soup for the Soul series, says that “energy flows where attention goes.”When you put your attention on something, you will find the people and resources showing up when and where you need them. Thus, the third step in creating a life you love which is “no tension.”Once you have done the work, both the internal work of stating your intention and the external work of putting your energy into action, it is time to trust that it will unfold and be all you desire or more. Divine timing and order come into play. You may not anticipate how things happen or understand why, but if you trust that you have followed your heart and taken inspired action, you can let go of your attachment to the outcome, knowing that all is as it is meant to be on your journey.

How do you keep your attention on what you want? Affirmations are one tool you can use. I recommend checking out Louise Hay’s work or The Success Principles by Jack Canfield for detailed information on using affirmations.Another great way is to write your top 5 passions on index cards. At the top, write “I am so happy and grateful now that I am….” and list your top five passions. At the bottom, write “This or something better!” to acknowledge that you are open to something you may not have even imagined yet, knowing that your dreams are unfolding. To get the most value out of this tool, do the following three things:

1. Keep a card by your bed so you can read it each morning upon awakening and each night before bed.
2. Put one with your calendar so you can plan your days based on what you are passionate about, and really want your life to be about.
3. Carry one with you so you can refer to it any time you are trying to make a decision. The more often you say “yes” to what your heart desires, the more joy and fulfillment you will experience!