‘Last week we identified our top 5 passions after doing the Passion Test,’ said Rinku. ‘My passions when living my ideal life are — I’m the greatest keyboard player in the world, I’m playing basketball for India, I’m helping people achieve their potential, I’m having fun and I’m spending quality time with my family.’
‘And my top passions are,’ said Rahul. ‘I’m a successful CEO of one of the top five companies in the world, I’m living a luxurious life, I’m having great relationships, I’m a celebrity and I’m having a lot of fun.’
‘Excellent,’ said Rakesh.
‘And we made passion cards with our top 5 passions and stuck them up so we can see them often,’ said Rahul. ‘But when I look at my passions I’m feeling tensed. Some of them look impossible. Have I asked for too much?’
‘No tension,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘Now that you’re clear about your top 5 passions, let the ideas sink in and firm up. The next step for you is to live it, which means that every time you get an opportunity to choose between living your passion or doing something else, choose in favour of living your passion.’
‘Bhaiyya, choosing in favour of having fun is easy,’ said Rahul. ‘But how can I choose in favour of living the life of a CEO of a top 5 company in the world? I’m only a student.’
‘Good question,’ said Rakesh. ‘Authors Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood say that the more attention you pay to what you intend to create, the stronger it gets. Right now, your attention is weak on this passion of yours. To make it stronger, start giving attention and visualising how living the life of a successful CEO feels. To help one get started on the path of living your passions, the authors suggest tools like Passion Score Cards, Markers and Vision Boards.’
‘Interesting,’ said Rinku. ’How do they work?’
‘Let’s start with the Passion Score Card,’ said Rakesh. ‘Take a pen and paper and make three columns. In the first column write your top 5 passions. In the second write 'Attention score' and in the third write 'Living my passion'. Score yourself on ‘attention’ and ‘living it’ on a scale of 10. If for ‘Living the life of a CEO’, ‘attention’ is at 4/10 and ‘living it’ is 0/10, improve your attention on it. The more attention you give, the more clarity you’ll get on further steps to take that lead towards living that passion.’
‘Bhaiyya, my scores on my passion of ‘having fun’ is 7/10 on ‘attention’ and 8/10 on ‘living it’,’ said Rinku.
‘Great,’ said Rakesh. ‘Once you get high scores, say more than 7/10, it means it has become part of your life. You are living your life aligned to a passionate life.’
‘Hmm,’ said Rahul. ‘My scores are low bhaiyya. Can we change our passions?’
‘Sure,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘But this is a list you arrived at after taking the Passion Test and putting in a lot of thought. Perhaps you should give it some time before you change it. Take the passion test again after three to six months by which time you may be living most of your current passions. Then you can find new passions to bring into your life. For now, try these exercises to get started on living your passions.’
‘Alright,’ said Rahul. ‘How does the ‘Markers’ exercise work?’
‘Simple,’ said Rakesh. ‘Write down three to four markers that show what would have happened if you would actually be living your passion. For example, what are the markers that show you are a successful CEO of a top 5 company in the world?’
‘My face is on the cover of the Forbes magazine,’ said Rahul. ‘I’m one of the top 50 most influential people in the world, I’m one of the highest-paid CEOs in the world and I’m quoted all over the internet.’
‘And Rinku?’ asked Rakesh.
‘My Markers on spending quality family time are — I’m enjoying the company of my family members, we’re sharing meals and family time every day, having frequent outings and vacations and we’re having great communication that makes it easy to share and ask for help and support.’
‘Good,’ said Rakesh. ‘Now, pay attention to your markers and start working on them.’
‘How, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘I’m still confused on how to start living or working like a CEO.’
‘Step by step,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘Do the things you can. For example, take the cover of a Forbes magazine and stick your photo on it. Create a headline in a newspaper cutting that says you are one of the top 50 influential people in the world and show your salary as a news item. Make a visiting card with your name and designation on it. Start living your reality in ways that make you feel like you’re on your path. You must first create the reality you want in your mind. As you act on your passions, you keep your attention going, and get more ideas. New opportunities open unexpectedly.’
‘Wow, I got it now,’ said Rahul. ‘And what’s a Vision Board?’
‘A Vision Board is a good tool to help you see your vision clearly,’ said Rakesh. ‘What we want shows up to the extent we are clear about it, so the clearer we are, the better. To create a Vision Board, take a chart paper and stick pictures from magazines or the internet of all the things that you want in your life. Keep that chart where you can see it every day. After every exercise, write at the bottom, ‘This or something better’ to open yourself to better possibilities. Have fun, enjoy the journey and appreciate yourself for your progress and effort.’
‘Yes, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘No tension. These exercises are fun.’
‘I agree,’ said Rinku. ‘I’ve got my top 5 passions and passion cards. I’ll get more clarity on them by paying more attention to them and I’ll choose in favour of my passions each time I get an opportunity.’
Pro Tip: To make your passions come true, start paying attention to them and start living your top 5 passions. Use tools like the Passion Score card, Markers and Vision Board to focus your attention and start living a passionate life. Have fun while doing it and appreciate your progress.