A few months back, I came across Janet Attwood's Passion Test. You're supposed to write down a whole bunch of things you want to experience from life and then evaluate them on what you are more passionate about. You end up with a top 5 that you spend more of your attention on.
When I did this the first time, I got "Knitting my own clothes with nice yarns." It was a fun answer and I have been getting some nicer yarns and having a blast making my clothes. Most of the others just kind of fell by the wayside.
This time, I was reminded of a couple of things. One is my motivator and the other is my Soul's Agenda word. I thought I would talk a little about both and then explain what happened when I applied them to the passion test.
Motivators
There are 4 main ways in which people are motivated.
1. Some people are motivated by passion. Just feeling passionate about something keeps them going, it lights them up and they act on the things they are passionate about. These people need to feel that passion for all of their goals.
2. Some people are motivated by vision. They get a vision of what they want and that's enough. As long as they hold the vision, they are taking action and moving forward.
3. Some people are motivated by their why. As long as they have a good why, they will keep going.
4. Some people are motivated by peace. Will the goal bring peace to the heart? Then they more likely to act.
You may notice that 3 of these are frequently addressed in the goal setting world. In fact, it's really easy to tell people to find what they are passionate about, create a vision/goal, and make sure they have their why. Most people will find success from this because it will hit their motivator. The 4th one has a harder time finding motivation in general.
Soul's Agenda
The Soul Agenda word is a concept presented by Ani Anderson in her book 'Finding Your Soul's Agenda". You go through a process to find your one word to live life by. You'll also create your own definitions as well as look at what it feels like to live in the opposite. Everyone has a word that they use to describe an expansive, joyful feeling we get when we do something that is right for us.
A friend got Thrilling as her word. I know of someone getting Passion as their word and another getting Adventure. Alive or some version is a known word as well. My word is Light, mostly it is in the form of not heavy but also not dark works.
Back to the passion test.
I think I am motivated by peace. When I try to follow the idea of passion, it's hard to find anything that motivates me for long. It is easier to do it if it will be fun but even then, it's just not enough to keep me going. If I was motivated by the vision, I would be so successful. I am constantly trying to get the goals and visions in my mind, just to have them be forgotten. I know if the why would inspire, I would do a lot more.
My friend couldn't understand why I wasn't motivated to clean up a room when it would mean that my kids and I would all have a room. Things were a bit chaotic after my mom died. One would think giving my boys a space to sleep would be motivation but it wasn't. Even the idea of helping people in some way just doesn't motivate me. In a moment it feels like a nice plan but it does not sustain.
The problem is, peace isn't really a word that motivates me either. Peace is an elusive word. That's where the Soul Agenda word comes in. If I think about what makes me feel light, that is something I want to do.
I did the passion test. I asked the passion questions. I got this list:
- Using Natural Yarns to knit me stunning clothes.
- Created a Home for Christ to dwell in.
- Hold space for Christ in my heart.
- Spend quality time with my family.
- Create and hold space for Love (Christ) in people’s homes.
It's an okay list. They are all things I desire. I decided to try a different approach. This time, I traded out "passion" for my Soul Agenda word. Which one makes me feel Light? My list is a bit different.
- Creating a home for Christ to dwell in.
- Holding space for Christ in my heart.
- Creating and holding space for Love in people’s homes.
- Spending quality time with my family.
- Married to my sweetheart.
- Using natural yarns to knit me stunning clothes tied with making alpaca socks for my kids.
More importantly, I do feel peaceful about this. The order changed a bit and my knitting moved way down the list. I enjoy my knitting but if it's all I do during a day, I feel heavy at the end of the day. I want to go to bed feeling light about my day.
Will this motivate me? I'm still not sure but I know I feel better about my list then I ever did passion lists.
I hope something in this inspired you, helped you to feel a bit lighter and ready for the New Year. I hope 2025 is a great year for you!
Hugs,
Michele
Soul Shine Specialist
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