“21 Ways to Ignite Your Passion”
Ron D. Carlson
First Edition 2018
Copyright © 2018 Ron D. Carlson
All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means is prohibited except for
short reviews.
21 Ways to
Ignite Your Passion
Fall in Love with Living Again
Discover the Secret to Making Love to Your Life Daily
Ron D. Carlson
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We’re going to play! We’re going to stroll, jump, cavort, inhale, savor,
taste and touch through all your senses into a passionate awakening.
You don’t need a reason to feel joy, burst with smiling happiness and
reawaken the knowing truth that YES you can reignite your passion for
living.
You simply need to claim your senses as YOURS.
You simply need to claim your PASSION for LIVING as yours.
You simply need to FALL IN LOVE WITH LIVING again.
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I often encounter intentional, spiritual people who are looking to make a
difference. These are the people who are aching to feel joined to their
purpose for living again. People who deeply want to know they are on
track to Becoming Their Why, their purpose for being alive.
But, then so-called “life” happens. The BUTS take over:
But, I have to have a real J.O.B. to be a responsible member of
society
But, who am I to think I could have more, be more, do more.
But, its damn tough to stay positive in a highly negative world.
But, its selfish to want to be passionate when so many aren’t.
But, only the anointed few reach liberated, passionate happiness.
But, how, when the world’s trauma is exploding all around me.
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They have forgotten their own passion because they are trying to help
others so much that they no longer feel wonder and awe themselves.
They ache to feel aliveness again while doing the special work they do.
They have forgotten the full, rich feeling of the light as the frustrations of
politics, of economics, of gender, are drowning it out.
They have forgotten what it feels like.
HERE IS THE BIG SECRET:
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It starts with PASSION.
It starts with deciding to be an adventurer of living, of sensing, feeling
and experiencing with NO GOAL in mind other than the experience.
It starts with simply and profoundly claiming your right to make love to
your own life again any time, any place, anywhere, no matter what
anybody else says.
You can live your life fully with a complete awareness of the wonder
around you. You CAN:
Ignite the fires of what you are truly passionate about.
Fill each moment is full and rich with life.
Experience your hours passing quickly as moments of joy.
Reawaken your senses, get in touch with your deeper self and
discover the unique why of your purpose.
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It all starts with saying “YES” to reigniting your passion and embracing
it as a lover.
It all starts with falling in love with living again.
Let’s start with the Light Me Up Passion Survey © on the next page and
see where you are.
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The Light Me Up Passion Survey © (All rights reserved)
First, take this three-minute Light Me Up Passion Survey and see where
YOU are.
Answer each question with the approximate number of months since you
last experienced that item.
When is the last time you:
1. Bit into an orange slice and savored the juice running down your
chin? _________
2. Ran barefoot in the grass? _________
3. Simply stopped in your tracks and inhaled the fresh air? _________
4. Jumped into a puddle for the sheer pleasure of it? _________
5. Took a road trip for no particular reason? _________
6. Got yourself new, nicely milled soap? _________
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7. Sat on a dock and dangled your feet in the water? _________
8. Bought new sheets for yourself simply for the savory feel of the
linen? _________
9. Lit candles and soaked in a relaxing bath? _________
10. Jumped for joy? _________
11. Got yourself a new fragrance, scented oil, special perfume or
cologne? _________
12. Walked in nature? _________
13. Pampered your toes? _________
14. Bought yourself flowers? _________
15. Went dancing? _________
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16. Enjoyed playing or listening to your favorite music, but not as
background music while you did other things? _________
17. Treated yourself to dressing-up for no particular reason? _________
18. Slowly savored your favorite beverage? _________
19. Opened your spice jars and inhaled them one by one? _________
20. Slowly savored your favorite, hot beverage? _________
21. Read a pleasurable book simply because you would enjoy it? _________
BONUS POINTS – YOUR BUCKET LIST
If you HAVE a Bucket List, give yourself bonus points!
If you’ve actually checked something OFF of your bucket list in
the last year, give yourself double bonus points!
If you DON’T yet have a Bucket List, don’t panic, help is coming!
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Until we get there, ask yourself:
If you died tomorrow, what would you wish you would have done?
Now, count of the total number of months from the 21 items.
Now, Total the Number of Months from the 21 items above and
Write the total here: ____________________
BONUS POINTS:
IF you have a Bucket List, you may reduce your TOTAL months
by 6.
IF you checked something off your Bucket List in the last year,
you reduce your TOTAL MONTHS above by 12.
Revised TOTAL Months after Bonus Points: ___________________
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Light Me Up Passion Survey © Results:
More than 144 total months since you last experienced the items
– You’re likely feeling flat, dull and often uninspired.
The good news is you DON’T need to stay that way!
Total months is 60 - 143 – There is tarnish on your inner luster
and some of your inner shine isn’t getting out to play. Help is on
the way!
Total months is 21 - 59 – Time to clear out the stale cobwebs and
run free, and you can, right now!
Few experiences that you haven’t savored recently – Good for
you! Have you checked anything off your Bucket List in the last
year? There is still room to further ignite your passionate living
fire starting right now!
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21 Ways to Ignite Your Passion
STARTING RIGHT NOW
Let’s get started bringing passion back into your living. Simply embrace
each of the 21 Ways, one at a time. It may be that you can do one a week.
Perhaps you can do more! That’s fine, you’re on the way to unlocking
your transformation into:
Making Love to Your Living
and Becoming the Delicious Why of Your Life
Pick the next Way to Passion you are going the engage with
today.
Linger as you can with the suggestions in that Way.
Savor the experience.
Be present to your feeling.
Notice the delight rising.
Sneak a look in the mirror and spot the smile returning to your
face.
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1. The last time you bit into an orange slice and savored the juice running
down your chin.
Get an orange. Smell the aroma. Separate the slices. Close your eyes and
inhale the fresh scent of the citrus. Give yourself permission to enjoy.
Now bite on a slice and let the messy, juicy contents run down your
chin.
Be present to the gift of the orange to your body today.
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During the time of the Berlin Wall in what was then East Germany,
often, there were no oranges to be had. Imagine the deficit of pleasure
they experienced. While you may not have savored an orange lately,
YOU can choose to right in this moment.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment.
Let the juice linger on your tongue, eyes closed as you savor the flavor.
Simply delicious.
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2. The last time you ran barefoot in the grass.
Take your shoes and socks off. Take your feet for a walk through a
sensory heaven for them. Allow them to escape the confinement of so
often being covered in socks, hose or shoes.
Let them run free in the grass.
Close your eyes and let the sensation rise through your body. The bliss
of again being in touch with the good earth mother through our feet.
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Wiggle your toes into the grass and the soil below.
There may be dew. Enjoy the feeling of the wet, living, breathing life
beneath your feet.
Now understand that little child so resistant to wearing shoes, so
wanting to feel freely without the imprisonment of shoes. While it may
have been awhile since you walked barefoot, YOU can choose to right
now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment in the grass.
Wiggle your toes into the glorious freedom.
Delicious.
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3. The last time you simply stopped in your tracks and inhaled the fresh
air.
Step outside.
Put your phone away.
No car.
Just you and the outside air.
Stand still and just breathe.
Let the air fill you with the fresh renewal each breath is meant to be.
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Just breathe slowly and deeply.
Yes, you may live in a city where fresh air seems rare. Yes, you may have
spent much more time in your car commuting than walking in the park.
Your lungs are aching to feel the air again, even for a moment in which
you stop and let them breathe.
While it may have been awhile since you stopped and inhaled the fresh,
outside air, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment with your breath.
Delicious.
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4. The last time you jumped into puddle for the sheer pleasure of it.
You remember, you know you loved to find a puddle and jump into it.
You relished the delight and power of the splashing water you created.
Anyone can find a puddle. You can make one with a travel cup of
water. Right now. Poured onto the sidewalk into a little pool beckoning
your delight.
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Don’t look around. Don’t bother checking if anyone is watching. Just
stomp into it, full bore. Know that inside, anyone who sees you is
envious of your verve.
While it may have been awhile since you stomped into a puddle,
grinning with glee, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment with your childlike abandon.
Delicious.
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5. The last time you took a road trip for no specific reason.
Step into the car, start the engine and then move forward down the road
toward no fixed end-point. Feel the liberation rising.
What, no time? Rubbish.
Simply take a trip into a nearby town using a route never used before.
Pack a picnic lunch not knowing where you’ll find the perfect spot for a
juicy repast.
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While it may have been awhile since you took a road trip for no reason,
YOU can choose to right now. You may have insisted on efficient trips
for economic purpose and limited yourself from this simple pleasure.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as the miles pass, the window open, the wind
blowing across your face while you have no fixed destination in sight.
Ah, there is a treat shop ahead. Why not stop…
Delicious.
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6. The last time you got yourself new, nicely milled soap.
Get a fragrant bar of nicely milled bath soap. Slowly unwrap the bar.
Inhale the fragrance. Feel the smooth texture on your hands. Lather
up and spread the fragrant bubbles on your skin.
While it may have been awhile since you inhaled the fragrant scent of a
new bar of soap. You may even have stoically ”made-do” with the most
utilitarian brand as though you were roughing it. You can choose to
enjoy it right now.
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You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as the fragrant scent pampers your nose in joy
and the lather of the soap on your hands lifts your anticipation of pure
pleasure.
Delicious.
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7. The last time you sat on a dock and dangled your feet in the water.
Drive yourself to a lake, pond or creek. Once you reach the edge of
the water. Slip off your shoes, and slowly dip your feet into the water.
Dangle them in the cool liquid without another thought demanding
your attention. Let them wiggle, draw circles, dive and splash.
While it may have been awhile since you dangled your feet off of a dock
or shore, YOU can choose to right now. You need not stay as the
controlled adult with a demanding schedule every minute, every day.
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You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as your feet play in the freedom of the water
while you let your mind be at peace.
Delicious.
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8. The last time you bought new sheets for yourself simply for the savory
feel of the linen.
Pick out a set of luscious new linen from your favorite bedding store.
Make a date a home to open the package, spread them out over your
bed and run your fingers over the soft, silky smooth, inviting fabric.
Let your eyes linger on the color of the sheets as you soften the room
lighting. Notice your breath let out a soft, pleasing sigh.
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You may even have ignored the possibility of the simple pleasure of new
linen, thinking that the old ones will do, holes and all.
While it may have been awhile since you caressed in the smooth, silky,
embrace of new linen, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as your senses are deeply enveloped by your
luxurious linen.
Delicious.
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9. The last time you lit candles and soaked in a relaxing bath.
Dim the lights. Select a sumptuous towel and lay it out. Draw a bath of
perfect temperature water. Pick your favorite candles and light them.
Add scented oil, fragrant soap and a glass of wine.
In some climates or while out camping, you cannot luxuriate in a long,
hot soak. That pleasure is not an option there. Sometimes, years pass
with nothing more than a perfunctory shower.
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While it may have been awhile since you soaked, just for you, candles
glowing, oil ready, grinning with delight, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as your skin soaks in the sensation of
pampering ease.
Delicious.
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10. The last time you jumped for joy.
Slip on a pair of sports shoes. Look in the mirror and smile, knowing only
you know what you’re up to.
Clear a space indoors or just step outside. Now, leap up into the air as
high as you can for no reason other than the sheer joy of it. Let them
wonder what you’re up to.
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You may have thought that a mature, responsible person like you just
doesn’t leap for fun anymore. You needed to make an impression, set
an example, be an adult and act mature.
While it may have been awhile since you jumped for joy, YOU can
choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the liberating and delightful
experience you can have in this moment as jump high as though no one
is looking.
Delicious.
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11. The last time you got yourself a new fragrance, scented oil, or scent
sticks.
Take a trip to your favorite store of fragrant delights. Let your nose
linger, savoring the scents caressing your sense of smell.
Pick one that calls to you and take it home. Release the fragrance into
the air and onto your skin. Sit down and close your eyes and simply
breathe in the aroma, allowing your mind to stand still.
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While it may have been awhile since you got yourself a new fragrance,
YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the delightful, aromatic experience
you can have in this moment as you inhale the sensual fragrance
presenting itself.
Delicious.
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12. The last time you walked in nature.
Grab a pair of walking shoes and water and head outside. Simply walk
under the trees or along the river or in the park. Anyplace with more
nature than concrete.
Let your body set the pace to stroll or linger or hop. Breathe in the
scents of the outdoors.
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Stop and sip your water then find a small object on the ground to remind
you of your day. A small, pretty rock, a pine cone, a shell or a leaf. Pick
it up and hold it. Put it into your pocket.
Let your being reconnect to nature. Aaahhhh, let yourself feel the
release.
There are people who don’t have the option to get outside. Perhaps they
are bed ridden. Perhaps they can’t leave the city.
While it may have been awhile since you walked outside, YOU can
choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the moments connecting to nature
again throughout your being.
Delicious.
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13. The last time you pampered your toes.
Draw a basin of warm water. Add in your favorite scented oil. Float
some flowers on the water and simply soak in bliss for them.
When you’re ready, pat dry, trim and file your nails. Then add your
favorite polish or coat to let them glow.
Smile as they wiggle freely while the polish dries. There is no hurry
today.
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For some, there is no option to pamper toes. They must walk barefoot
over rough terrain with rarely a rest, day after day.
While it may have been awhile since you pampered your toes, YOU can
choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, liberation your toes feel
right now as they glow.
Delicious.
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14. The last time you bought yourself flowers.
Get some flowers for your home. Touch their petals. Inhale the scent. Let
your eyes savor the colors and your touch caress their textures.
Trim the ends and place them in a special vase where you can’t help but
see them often. Know their pleasure is for you.
While it may have been awhile since you got yourself flowers to enjoy,
YOU can choose to right now.
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You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as eyes, nose and touch feel the glow their
being there brings to you.
Delicious.
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15. The last time you went dancing.
Ballroom or country, swing or pop, it matters not. Take your body to some
music and let it move as it feels the want to. Indoors or out.
Alone or with a partner.
Knowing the steps is irrelevant really. Let the freedom to move overtake
you.
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Some people can’t dance as you can. Their legs are injured perhaps, or
their culture prohibits it. They can’t experience this joyous liberation as
you can.
While it may have been awhile since you went dancing, YOU can choose
to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the freeing experience your body
feels when you let it move and flow without being censored. Who cares if
someone is watching. Just dance.
Delicious.
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17. The last time enjoyed playing or listening to your favorite music, but
not as background music while you did other things but music time just
for you.
Open the closet and find your long lost musical instrument. The one you
haven’t played in years. Or find that heart stopping piece of music you
always loved but haven’t played in ages. Settle in for a riot of notes.
Lock the door, turn off the phone. Close the window and just let the
sound rip. Yes, raw, unrehearsed, imperfect and deliciously liberating.
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Toe tapping, voice straining, notes at the edge and live.
Imagine the people living in a world without sound or where music is
restricted. They don’t have your access and feel the deficit for it.
While it may have been awhile since you played or listened to music,
YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the sensuous auditory pleasure of
playing or listening, tapping your toes and feeling the rhythm take you
away. Fly with the notes.
Delicious.
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18. The last time you treated yourself to dressing-up for no reason.
Open your closet. Gaze over the unused selection pushed to the side. You
remember when you last wore them.
Today, its time to stop pushing them aside for lack of an occasion or
lack of a perfect fit. You know you can put together a dress up now
with what you have.
Your jewelry, your makeup, your clothes and shoes.
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Select the pieces with no intent of leaving the house. Dress up and look
in the mirror simply because you deserve the sheer pleasure of knowing
you can be that, of knowing you can dress up specifically for yourself.
Some people around the world cannot. Remember the pioneers who left
all the finery beside the Oregon trail as they moved west. They had
little else beyond the clothes on their back and a cooking pot.
While it may have been awhile since you treated yourself to dressing up
for no reason, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the in the sensation of gloriously
attractive joy.
Delicious.
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19. The last time you slowly savored your favorite, hot beverage.
Perhaps a steaming cup of hot, morning, tea or an aromatic cup of
morning coffee. Perhaps a cup of hot chocolate to warm the night.
Select your cup. Heat the water. Select your choice of tea, coffee or hot
chocolate.
Once the water boils, slowly add to your cup. You needn’t hurry now.
Let it sit and steep or brew. Notice the aromas that begin to fill the
room.
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Wrap your hands around the cup and caress the warmth as a lover.
Slowly sip and savor the pause in your time.
For some, there is no hot beverage to be savored. They may barely have
drinking water. They may be on the run with little time to pause and
reflect. For them, its always short and fast.
While it may have been awhile since you slowly savored your favorite,
hot beverage, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the aromatic embrace of the swelling
flavors in the air, the warmth in your hands and the pause in your
thoughts.
Delicious.
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20. The last time you opened your spice jars and inhaled them one by one.
Reach into your spice cupboard and select nine spice or herb jars. Spread
them apart on your kitchen table so there is space between each one.
Now read the label of the first one and then open the lid. Close your
eyes, inhale the unique scent of the spice and imagine traveling through
time to the land or garden of its origin.
Allow your imagination to soar with the possibilities for cooking with the
spices and herbs in that other land or garden.
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There are some who have never enjoyed the delicious support of freshly
cooked food. They survive on fast food and miss the extraordinary
sensory feast the spices can bring into their world.
While it may have been awhile since you opened spice and herb jars and
inhaled the exotic scents from faraway lands, YOU can choose to right
now.
You can be present in gratitude for the luscious, sensory experience you
can have in this moment as your sense of smell leads you to travel to
exotic lands.
Delicious.
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21. Read a pleasurable book simply because you would enjoy it.
There is nothing quite as peaceful as settling down to read a book in a
peaceful, quiet space.
Whether at home, in the great outdoors, in a quiet corner of the library
or bookstore, select a book you choose to savor today. Nothing for work
or school. Today is for a book you would enjoy letting your mind and
heart stroll through.
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Slowly open it and let your fingers linger on the first paragraph.
Imagine seeing those characters in front of you as your read.
There are people who cannot linger with the words on the page. Perhaps
their deficit is never learning to read. Perhaps they cannot afford books.
Perhaps their world does not allow them.
While it may have been awhile since you read a book simply because you
would enjoy it, YOU can choose to right now.
You can be present in gratitude for the lifting experience of traveling
from here to another space and lingering there through the power of
reading.
Delicious.
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How do you create your own bucket list?
In a word, PASSION!!!
Passion for savoring your senses.
Passion to fall in love with living again.
Passion to discover your destiny and
Passion for Becoming Your Why.
Why not Add PASSION to your Bucket List TODAY!
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BONUS - How to Create Your Passionate Bucket List
I promised earlier to help you to create your own bucket list.
Here is how you can get started.
First, lets revisit the question about “if you died tomorrow”. If you
died tomorrow, write down a couple things you really wish you’d do
before you pass.
Second, pick one of them that will be juicy, enjoyable and liberating. (So,
updating your will, while important, doesn’t count for your Bucket List)
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Third, research what reaching that Bucket List goal looks like and break
it into 5 items:
Fourth, identify the resources you’ll need to reach that goal. Again,
break it into 5 resources.
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Five, its time to plan and take action. Identify 5 steps you’ll need to take
to reach your goal and describe how you will start taking action on
those steps now.
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I hope you have enjoyed igniting YOUR passion through these 21 ways.
Often, I hold Facebook Challenges. I’ll let you know when we next hold a
Challenge. There we will walk together, step by step to say YES to passion
for 21 days. You’ll feel a marvelous lift and the willing support of others
in a private Facebook Group. You’ll feel your embrace for living soaring.
Pay attention to your emails. Since you’re on my email list, you’ll be the
first to know about Challenges plus I’ll send you an invitation to our
Facebook group so you can stay up to date with all the other passionate
happenings.
You’ll discover your life can soar
To your Passionate Life,
Ron D. Carlson
Become Your Why www.becomeyourwhy.com
[email protected] Become Your Why