career. “The decade in which we have matured has been turbulent in almost every dimension,” says John Coleman, 31, a recent graduate of Harvard Busi- ness School and co-author of Passion and Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders. “This generation is looking at a world that has so many problems and saying, ‘The old opportunities are not there anymore, so we have to create new ones.’ Many are actively seeking more meaning and purpose at work.” One 2010 survey of


500 MBA students found that when considering a long list of options for what they looked for in a career, they ranked “intellectual challenge” and “opportunity to im- pact the world” as their first and third priorities, bracketing “compen- sation” which ranked second.


‘What turns you on?’” That’s a shame, remarks Frederick, because first hints at our purpose often bubble up in our youth. “I believe all of us know at some point what our gift is, but we often bury it and say, ‘I have to fit in and get a job with benefits and a good paycheck.’” There is an alternative.


Work and Consume Less,


It is not how much you do, but how much love you put


into the doing, that matters. ~ Mother Teresa


Another analysis by The New York


Times found that in 2009, 11 per- cent more college graduates worked for nonprofits than in the previous year. Accordingly, Coleman’s book is packed with encouraging examples, from a Harvard MBA student and a U.S. Marine that co-founded a non- profit addressing poverty in Kenya’s largest slum to a biomedical engineer- ing grad that launched a web-based car-sharing service. This altruistic, purpose-driven


career track seems a stark departure from that of the baby boomers, collec- tively referred to as the “me” generation for its materialistic ethos. Yet those that specialize in helping people find more meaningful lives say this group cur- rently counts among their best and most focused customers. “We are at a time in the world


when it is more socially acceptable to follow your passions,” says Janet Attwood, whose Passion Test work- shops—established in 2004—are welcoming more people than ever. “In my day, my dad was so freaked out I’d end up homeless that he sent me to business school so I would learn how to type. Back then, parents never asked:


Live More Attwood stresses that living in line with one’s passion isn’t just about work, not- ing, “It’s about your relationships and friends, your spiritual- ity and health, what you consume and where you choose to live…”


She asks


clients to write down five life-defining pas- sions (see sidebar) and use them as a guidepost. “Whenev- er you are faced with


a choice, a decision or an opportu- nity, choose in favor of your passion,” she counsels. Attwood has observed firsthand how success often follows, because, “When you choose in favor of the things that have the greatest, deepest meaning for you, the universe supports you more than if you are just tepid and neutral about something.” For some, that has meant working


fewer hours for less pay, in order to al- low more time for clarifying meditation, family dinners, volunteering at a local shelter, taking a long-yearned-for dance class or planning the next career shift. It has also led to willing trade-offs in buy- ing less and doing more for oneself. According to the 2010 MetLife


Study of the American Dream, 77 per- cent of Americans now say that achiev- ing their big dream comprises improv- ing the quality of their lives by strength- ening personal relationships. As for millennials, 39 percent say they already have what they need. Also, those that feel growing pressure to buy more and better material possessions has dropped from 66 percent in 2006 to well below half today.


“Plenty of people have already


started down this path. They’re growing vegetables, raising chickens and keeping


Take the


Passion Test


Make a list of your passions; the 10 or 15 things most critical to your happiness and well-being. Start each entry with, “When my life is ideal, I am … ” (living in a beautiful house in the mountains, working in a job that changes lives, spending plenty of time with my children, etc.)


Don’t worry about how you’ll get there. Just write it down. You become whatever you are committed to. “People often write down a passion, but if they can’t immediately see how they can manifest it, they erase it and instead write something down that they can easily put their arms around. In other words, they play it safe,” says Janet Attwood, co-author of The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Pur- pose. Instead, think big.


Narrow the list to your top five passions.


Write all five passions down on five index cards.


Post passions in places you will routinely see them, such as on the bathroom mirror and refrigerator door; display them prominently on your computer.


Create a vision board (a collage of representations of your passions). “It’s an easy way to keep your attention on the things you really want to grow stronger in your life,” notes Attwood.


Use these priority passions as a guidepost. “Whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision or opportu- nity, choose in favor of your pas- sions,” advises Attwood. Then run to the goal with purpose in every step.


Take the test again every six months, because passions can change and evolve over time.


natural awakenings November 2012 13


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