Meet Olivia, my granddaughter.
A year ago, as part of completing the Passion Test Consultant Certification by Janet Attwood as offered on the GeniusU platform, I identified my family as being at the top of my list of passions. This came as a surprise! After being self-employed for almost twenty years, I had become accustomed to revolving everything around my business. I would pride myself on getting by with little sleep, eating on the go, and using "I have work to do" as a plausible reason to get out of any family events. The result was exhaustion, overwhelm, and the general feeling that life's in control of me.
Enter Olivia...
This is indeed a bundle of joy. Watching my son and daughter-in-law love parenting, but struggling to balance his work-from-home high-pressured job and her PhD with being doting, hands-on parents brought out the mommy in me. That's when Janet Attwood's mantra played over again in my mind: 'Whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision, or an opportunity, choose in favour of your passions.'
For me, knowing what I knew thanks to the Passion Test process, it was a no-brainer. Family comes first. So I decided to put one day aside away from business to spend exclusively with this little one while her parents have some breathing space to get things done. And it's turned out to be my favourite day of the week! We play, we sing, we dance, we eat (sort of...she now gets more food into her mouth than all over her face and hands) and, oh my goodness, we laugh.
For the first time in twenty years, I now have one day a week where I leave home without my laptop, I don't schedule any meetings, and I hardly check my phone for messages. As for business, this joy spills over into it. Instead of jamming everything I thought was important into a working week, I can now poiltely say "No, thank you" to anything that threatens my peace and "Yes, please!" to the things that excite me.
What would your life look like if you chose in favour of your passions? And if you're not certain of your passions, did you know that there are a bunch of Passion Test Consultants on GeniusU to help you identify your top five?
If you're a certified Passion Test Consultant, please comment below so others can find you.
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