It's time to write your manifesto
I recently found my manifesto I wrote up 2 years ago as part of a short course. Reading it was reaffirming; values, behaviours, viewpoints, it was all there. Maybe it's time to write yours?
The word ‘manifesto’ is nested in politics because it’s literal definition is “a written statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organisation, especially a political party.” But in the context of personal development, writing up a personal manifesto is an invaluable exercise.
A personal manifesto helps you to articulate your beliefs, intentions and motives. Your personal manifesto is what you circle back to in times of need. Do you have one? This post might help you to think about what you’d say in yours.
Often manifestos can be publicised, at the time, I held closely to my manifesto as it felt like an extension of me, but now I’m ready to share an updated and refreshed version of this manifesto with you.
My manifesto
Everything is possible with love, connection and community.
Consistency is everything, show up every day. Mood follows action.
Your gut instinct is extremely powerful. If something feels wrong, it’s because it is… and if something feels wrong, challenge it. You’ll regret inaction over action.
Trying to solve big problems is the killer of creativity and productivity, start small, break it down, solve it and feel energised to take the next step.
Longevity does not equate to success, ending things is a celebration that someone or something is no longer serving you.
Always put your name on everything you do.
Life is a struggle but kindness and compassion is easy. You’re never too busy to not help someone in need. And guess what, they don’t need money or clothes or delicious food, they need someone to listen.
Work hard and do hard work, you’ll never know your limits if you don’t push them in the first place.
Value yourself. You are incredible. Be kind to your body and mind; you’ve made it this far and if you’re lucky, you have so much further to go.
Notice your alarm bells; if your mood is sinking, get out of the house or pick up the phone to someone you love.
Be curious about routes not yet explored, find trees that ground you, views that take your breath away, look up. In times of pain, suffering or failure, the trees, the birds and the sky will all keep moving.
Challenges fuel growth, mistakes fuel growth, failure fuels growth. Let’s grow older rather than get older.
Make peace with the decisions you regret, you’ll never actually know if an alternate decision would have changed the curse of events for the better.
Chasing after a goal leaves you constantly wanting more… but what if everything you have and everything you are right now is enough?
Visual mood board
I accompanied my written manifesto with a visual mood board to illustrate my ideas. Here’s a little snippet of it:
Over to you
Do you have a manifesto or a recent mood board? How did it help you in your personal or professional development?
