The Passion Test has been called the world’s #1 among all personal development tools for finding your passions and life purpose, and I became a Certified Facilitator many years ago. I’ll tell you all about it.
The Passion Test™ was created by Janet Bray Attwood to help YOU to discover YOUR passions and begin really living them. Janet Attwood is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller, “The Passion Test – The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose,” along with Chris Attwood. It’s a road map to a fulfilling life in the direction of our passions – a life of joy!
In 2020, I worked with my friend and mentor Janet Bray Attwood as a Launch Manager for one of her Self-Love programs.
In one of our meetings, we reflected on our journey together, and I told her what I called “my embarrassing story,” and we both ended up sobbing with love. It happened many moons before, in June, and I don’t know why I hadn’t told her. Maybe I was judging myself, but when Janet and I had this conversation, I realized I was guided by my intuition and was ready to act in favor of my passions!
I can’t even believe this story – even more outrageous than meeting Les Brown. Looking back at when I became a Certified Passion Test facilitator, I think to myself: “You are out of your mind!” – in a good way.
Meeting Janet Bray Attwood
I had met Janet in Chicago at a Digital Marketing conference. She was the keynote speaker, and as she spoke about The Passion Test, I instantly knew I wanted to learn more about living a passionate life and to become a Certified Passion Test Facilitator. I didn’t know I could figure out my top passions, and I was convinced this might be part of my personal path and personal destiny.
She was having a certification event the following week in Chicago, so doing it meant that I would need to fly back to Chicago on a Thursday, just a few days after getting home on a Monday. I needed to come up with the money to cover certification, hotel, meals, and plane tickets, none of which I had.
When I came home, I checked the mail, and there was a credit card offer. I felt like I needed to apply for this credit card, but I resisted because that was something I had never considered before. In fact, it was an idea I had always resisted and rejected.
But the feeling kept nagging me. It was all I could think about. And within a few hours, I dug the letter out of the recycling bin and decided to call. “You are approved,” they said within minutes – and I was in shock. There was no turning back now.
The limit was low, so I could only cover the certification fee and plane ticket to the O’Hare airport, with $19 left over for meals. Yes, you read that right – I didn’t have hotel money, and I didn’t know anyone who was attending, either. More on that below.
Diary Entry from the Day Before
This is a diary entry I found from the day before I went to Chicago to get certified as a Passion Test Facilitator:
I am at Corner Bakery Cafe, where I had the first meal of the day after a hard day of moving and chaos. Last week, I attended Internet Prophets Live, a 3-day conference where I got to hang out with some of the most powerful personalities in my industry: Speakers, Internet Marketers, and Bestselling Authors. I learned from Armand Morin, Mike Filsaime, Mike Koenigs, Janet Bray Attwood, Larry Winget, Marc Ostrofsky, and many others. I finally met the legendary Jay Conrad Levinson, and I’m soon going to share the stage with him! I can’t even believe it.
And Janet Bray Atwood, author of the New York Times bestseller The Passion Test, personally invited me to become a Certified Passion Test Facilitator. The program starts tomorrow in Chicago, and my flight is scheduled to leave at 5 am. I will get picked up by the hotel shuttle at the airport at 8 and then dropped off at the Westin for Total Passion immersion.
I am excited about the program. I didn’t hear that I was able to attend tomorrow’s session until this morning. I couldn’t find a flight, but when I did, I realized it arrived almost at 9 am. The Passion Test Certification is a reputable, high-integrity program. They said if I had missed any of the program, the certification wouldn’t have been possible. After speaking with several people on the team, I realized I could make it.
I booked my flight at Barnes and Noble (my Internet connection has already been disconnected and is pending transfer to my new place) and went on with my move.
When I got the confirmation e-mail on the phone, I realized the confirmation said PM! I had to call the airline to figure out if there were any flights available in the morning – there weren’t. I had to go back to Barnes and Noble and book another one-way flight to Chicago, then call the other airline, cancel my outgoing flight, and keep my return flight with them.
Well, cool, not so bad, right? Until I realize my wallet was missing. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I saw an option to pay with PayPal and I thought “nice!” but then I got a confirmation e-mail that there was an error. I remembered I had the check card information stored somewhere and waited ages to call the customer service line ($25 booking fee and all) and read my numbers. It was booked – YAY!
I prayed and kept cool and collected 99% of the time, joking and laughing at myself.
When I thought all was done, it not only started raining, but it started hailing. I am telling you, my faith and my passion were tested (pun intended). It is funny that I will be learning to certify people on the passion test, and I just had one… well, sorta.
The morale is, there are things we can control and things we cannot. By staying calm, doing everything within our power, and keeping a sense of humor about it, we will not only have a good time but also attract a better outcome.
I did find my wallet, completed my move, and I’m going to Chicago. I guess I passed the passion test!
Day 1 of the Passion Test Certification
I arrived at the hotel for the 3-day certification program with a big smile on my face and a cute purple carry-on bag (it looked like a computer bag, so I could just take it with me everywhere).
Morning
I had showered before traveling, and I made it to the ballroom right on time. The morning was magical: going through the Passion Test process. When it was time for the lunch break, I wanted to network with everyone and get to know them, so I went to the group meal.
I ordered a small salad, which seemed normal to everyone else – Why wouldn’t it? I thought to myself, “Maybe they think I’m on a diet.” But they probably didn’t even notice. I was self-conscious because I wasn’t ordering what I wanted, and salads are not my thing. I don’t even consider a salad a meal -they are what goes with the meal! But the issue is that after a morning of dreaming about manifestation, I just didn’t feel aligned, you know?
But that didn’t stop me. I reminded myself that sometimes you have to sacrifice when you choose in favor of your passions. I was here – fully present, fully invested, giving my all (literally). Well, I had $8 left for the rest of the journey.
Afternoon
The afternoon was powerful. Learning about how The Passion Test came to be, how Janet Attwood created it, and how the greatest transformational leaders went through this amazing process and endorsed it. People like Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield (co-authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series), Byron Katie, John Gray (author of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus), and many of the teachers of The Secret and The Law of Attraction.
In fact, Jack Canfield was inspired to create the Transformational Leadership Council after taking the Passion Test. Members of Jack Canfield’s TLC are top transformational leaders and marketers – self-help elites, if you will.
We also learned how the life-changing New York Times bestseller was written, and about some of the adventures Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood had in publishing The Passion Test. Besides being co-authors of the New York Times bestseller, they are co-founders of Healthy, Wealthy N Wise, one of the largest transformational online magazines, and owners of Enlightened Alliances. Since 2007, Chris and Janet Attwood have led over 100,000 people from all walks of life through The Passion Test and trained thousands of Certified Passion Test Facilitators in more than 50 countries worldwide.
I discovered how such a simple process can uncover such profound wisdom and not only guides someone in the pursuit of their passions, but can lead to the most profound changes and transformations.
That night, I stayed in the lobby all night, working on my laptop. It was a very productive night, and I was so pumped I wasn’t even tired!
Day 2 of the Passion Test Certification
At about 5 am, I went to the ladies’ bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and thoroughly cleaned myself up with baby wipes. I used a bit of the dry shampoo I had packed and fluffed my hair a bit. As Pharrell would sing – it was “change clothes and go.”
I smelled nice and felt good – ready for the learning to begin. The day was highly experiential. I learned how to help others discover their passions, and I felt like I was already following mine.
I didn’t join the group meals on day 2 – I had to stretch my money. I bought a couple of bananas at the Starbucks – that hit the spot! There was unlimited water in the room, so I had plenty of that.
Because we practiced with each other, the rest of the Passion Test facilitators in training, and I still got to know each other and build relationships. That’s where I met friends and clients, like Karin Lubin and Karen Putz, my amigas Beth Lefevre, Celeste Perez, Laura Lane, and so many more!
In this picture I found, I spy Johnny Covey, Jodi Knittel, Kari Barnes, Gord Marr and Wendy Marr, Ricardo Figueroa, Donna Markussen, Jan Williams, Carole Cannon, and Cheryl Burget.
Can you spot me?
Every time I look back at this time, I am so grateful for this girl and her daring spirit.
Rough night
After we said our goodbyes for the day, I hung out at the lobby for a while, but it was SO COLD – especially for this Dominican woman!
I ended up going up the stairs and sitting on the carpet in a hidden corner near the guest rooms. It was cozier, but more uncomfortable, and I did feel tired and hungry. I tried to rest my head on the little purple bag, but that was never going to work.
But I used some of the wipes to help me stay awake throughout the night, and I worked on filling out some worksheets in the Passion Test Facilitator binder. I kept seeing how this was working in my favor, so I could be even more prepared for day 3.
When you’re passionate, determined, and relentlessly focused on a result, there is nothing, nothing, and absolutely nothing that can take you off of it.
Day 3 of the Passion Test Certification
After my daily clean up and wipe down, I was uplifted by the energy when I entered the room. We learned how to incorporate the Passion Test into our coaching, something I’ve done with thousands of people from around the world over the years.
I now use my students’ and clients’ list of passions to guide them on how to build their brand and business. They get so much clarity!
Your passions, those things that matter most to you are clues to your life purpose and act as an “inner GPS” for the decisions you make in your life. We can help you get clearer insights so that you can jump into the driver’s seat of your ‘career bus.’
Passion is such an essential element of business – and life. In fact, passion can save lives. An annual Gallup survey shows that only 31% of people worldwide are engaged at work in the corporate world, even though they do treasure the security of their well-paid jobs.
In Western Europe the number is 14 % (Denmark 20%) and in Japan only 6% are passionate about their lives. The Passion Test was created to turn these global passion statistics upside down so people can be engaged and happy with their lives.
The Passion Test is a simple, powerful set of tools for discovering your passions and aligning your life with what matters most to you. The Passion Test shows you step by step how to identify your top five passions, and then provides the guidance to align your life with these passions.
An Angel and a Miracle
I don’t think there was an organized group lunch that day, but I offered to create a Facebook group where we could all stay connected. I went back to the hotel Starbucks and had a tall hot chocolate with almond milk, sprinkled with lots of nutmeg and cinnamon as I created the group. I just had cents left on the card at this point, but I felt so great! Hot chocolate is such a comfort to me.
By the end of day 3, after a beautiful bonding ceremony, we said goodbye, and some of us kept the conversation going in the lobby.
I was helping some people with their digital marketing, just being my geeky self. Someone asked if I was staying or leaving that night – and I said my flight was in the am, but I’d be headed right to the airport. That was the plan!
Out of the blue, and without knowing that I hadn’t slept in a few days, Gabriela M. Rivero-Allen (whom I had never met until the conference) invited me to spend the night at her home. I couldn’t believe it. That night, I had such a beautiful time with a beautiful soul, I slept well and had a real shower! What an angel!
Discover your true passions
What I love most about The Passion Test is that it’s accessible to anyone, of any faith, from any background. The Passion Test is an effective process to get you on the right track to follow your ultimate purpose.
The Passion Test doesn’t just allow you to create a clear vision of what most matters to you, but it’s a powerful tool to ditch the false beliefs that are holding you back.
If you want to create passion, fulfillment, and joy in your own life, beyond your affirmations and your vision board, I encourage you to go through the Passion Test with me. It’s part of my StoryBoss Blueprint program.
You will love the simplicity of the process and the clarity you will find. We will have so much fun, and most importantly, you will see miraculous results in all aspects of your life. This SYSTEM is unbelievably easy to follow and can provide the most profound changes in your life you may have ever experienced.
Discovering your True Passions is an exciting and essential step toward finding and living your God-given purpose, and I am honored to guide you in discovering your TOP 5 for a full life.
Back to 2020
The Passion Test Certification Program was truly transformational in every area of my life, but back to my 2020 conversation and tears with Janet… The real gift in reflecting on that experience is understanding that I can follow my passions and take care of myself, too. I don’t have to choose one or the other. And neither do you.
So what do you think about this story? Share with me in the comments below. And… may we always tap into our inner strength to take the steps that lead us to greatness and to our ideal life. <3
Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.
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