diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 66dc58d1..5c71fb30 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -139,30 +139,31 @@ The sdk provides a way to validate if a workflow object is compliant with the se
 - `validate(): boolean`
 
 ```typescript
-import { WorkflowValidator, Specification } from '@severlessworkflow/sdk-typescript';
-
-const workflow: Specification.Workflow = {
-  id: 'helloworld',
-  version: '1.0',
-  specVersion: '0.8',
-  name: 'Hello World Workflow',
-  description: 'Inject Hello World',
-  start: 'Hello State',
-  states: [
-    {
-      type: 'inject',
-      name: 'Hello State',
-      end: true,
-      data: {
-        result: "Hello World!"
-      }
-    } as Specification.Injectstate
-  ]
+import {WorkflowValidator, Specification} from '@severlessworkflow/sdk-typescript';
+import {Workflow} from "./workflow";
+
+const workflow = {
+    id: 'helloworld',
+    version: '1.0',
+    specVersion: '0.3',
+    name: 'Hello World Workflow',
+    description: 'Inject Hello World',
+    start: 'Hello State',
+    states: [
+        {
+            type: 'inject',
+            name: 'Hello State',
+            end: true,
+            data: {
+                result: "Hello World!"
+            }
+        }
+    ]
 };
 
-const workflowValidator: WorkflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(workflow);
+const workflowValidator: WorkflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(Workflow.fromSource(JSON.stringify(workflow)));
 if (!workflowValidator.isValid) {
-  workflowValidator.errors.forEach(error => console.error((error as ValidationError).message));
+    workflowValidator.errors.forEach(error => console.error((error as ValidationError).message));
 }
 ```
 
diff --git a/src/lib/workflow-validator.ts b/src/lib/workflow-validator.ts
index 6214822e..1faca005 100644
--- a/src/lib/workflow-validator.ts
+++ b/src/lib/workflow-validator.ts
@@ -34,10 +34,12 @@ export class WorkflowValidator {
    */
   constructor(private workflow: Specification.Workflow) {
     const validateFn = validators.get('Workflow') as ValidateFunction<Specification.Workflow>;
-    validateFn(this.workflow);
+    const normalizedWf = this.workflow.normalize();
+    validateFn(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(normalizedWf)));
     if (validateFn.errors) {
       this.errors = validateFn.errors.map((error) => {
-        const message = `invalid: ${error.instancePath} | ${error.schemaPath} | ${error.message}`;
+        const message = `Workflow is invalid: ${error.instancePath} | ${error.schemaPath} | ${error.message}
+        data: ${JSON.stringify(normalizedWf, null, 4)}`;
         return new ValidationError(message);
       });
     }
diff --git a/tests/lib/workflow-validator.spec.ts b/tests/lib/workflow-validator.spec.ts
index 90922334..f602b865 100644
--- a/tests/lib/workflow-validator.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/lib/workflow-validator.spec.ts
@@ -16,30 +16,33 @@
  */
 import { ValidationError, WorkflowValidator } from '../../src';
 import { Workflow } from '../../src/lib/definitions/workflow';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
 
-const validWorkflow = {
-  id: 'helloworld',
-  version: '1.0',
-  specVersion: '0.8',
-  name: 'Hello World Workflow',
-  description: 'Inject Hello World',
-  start: 'Hello State',
-  states: [
-    {
-      name: 'Hello State',
-      type: 'inject',
-      data: {
-        result: 'Hello World!',
+describe('workflow-validator, invalid state', () => {
+  const validWorkflow = {
+    id: 'helloworld',
+    version: '1.0',
+    specVersion: '0.8',
+    name: 'Hello World Workflow',
+    description: 'Inject Hello World',
+    start: 'Hello State',
+    states: [
+      {
+        name: 'Hello State',
+        type: 'inject',
+        data: {
+          result: 'Hello World!',
+        },
+        end: true,
       },
-      end: true,
-    },
-  ],
-};
+    ],
+  };
 
-describe('workflow-validator, invalid state', () => {
   it('should return errors instance of ValidationError if the workflow provided is not valid', () => {
+    const workflowWithEmptyStates = Workflow.fromSource(JSON.stringify(validWorkflow));
+
     // @ts-ignore
-    const workflowWithEmptyStates = Object.assign({ ...validWorkflow }, { states: [] }) as Workflow;
+    workflowWithEmptyStates.states = [];
 
     const workflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(workflowWithEmptyStates);
 
@@ -49,8 +52,8 @@ describe('workflow-validator, invalid state', () => {
   });
 
   it('should check if specVersion match the supported sdk version', () => {
-    // @ts-ignore
-    const workflowWithInvalidSpecVersion = Object.assign({ ...validWorkflow }, { specVersion: '0.1' }) as Workflow;
+    const workflowWithInvalidSpecVersion = Workflow.fromSource(JSON.stringify(validWorkflow));
+    workflowWithInvalidSpecVersion.specVersion = '0.1';
 
     const workflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(workflowWithInvalidSpecVersion);
 
@@ -70,12 +73,18 @@ describe('workflow-validator, invalid state', () => {
 });
 
 describe('workflow-validator, valid state', () => {
-  it('should have no errors if the workflow is valid', () => {
-    // @ts-ignore
-    const workflow = validWorkflow as Workflow;
+  it('should have no errors', () => {
+    const testFolder = './tests/examples/';
 
-    const workflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(workflow);
-    expect(workflowValidator.errors.length).toBe(0);
-    expect(workflowValidator.isValid);
+    const jsonFiles = fs.readdirSync(testFolder).filter((f) => f.endsWith('.json'));
+
+    expect(jsonFiles.length).toBe(9);
+
+    jsonFiles.forEach((f) => {
+      const file = testFolder + f;
+      const workflow = Workflow.fromSource(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8'));
+      const workflowValidator = new WorkflowValidator(workflow);
+      expect(workflowValidator.errors.length).toBe(0);
+    });
   });
 });