How to write your manifesto.
“The word manifesto has it’s origins from the Italian word manifesto, itself derived from the Latin manifestum, meaning clear or conspicuous. A manifesto is defined as a declaration of one’s beliefs, opinions, motives, and intentions. It is at it’s heart a living document that a person or an organization creates to declare the guiding principals in which they wish the live inside of.”
A manifesto is a call to action.
It may be inspiring challenging rebellious or funny. It is a bold move to evoke transformation, not piecemeal but as a general direction you want to point to.
It’s natural purpose is pointing out the contrast between the ideas we were told are true, and the ones we really want to be true for us, the ideals that are often stored away in a quiet place in our hearts.
There is always a current reality and a future reality we wish to give birth to. The manifesto is the fuel for that ROAD TRIP … to call forth the life we cherish and desire. A great manifesto always does one thing; challenge the status quo.
While manifestos have traditionally been thought of as public declarations, I believe every single person and organization should have one.
You probably already have things in your life that act as a unconscious manifesto, it may be a cherished spiritual book or some document that sums up something you believe in.
What a Manifesto can do for you.
Think about something in your life that you consider extremely valuable. I don’t mean monetarily but something that has helped you live your life in a better way. It’s something that, without it, would make your life so much less than it is. I believe a Manifesto is a valuable idea because it very practical, and it’s something you can look at and use every single day of your life. I’m not saying you’ll always live up to it, but it’s good to have an ideal to strive for, isn’t it? Without that, over time your set point tends to become lower and lower.
My manifesto guides me, it’s helps me when things get rough in my life, and it reminds me of the man I strive to be. It serves as my Life Compass on the journey called my life.
In the absence of a vision for our lives, we become loyal to the trivia of daily life, until we find ourselves enslaved by it. A Manifesto frees you from becoming a slave to daily life. It calls forth the higher angels of your nature.
No, I can’t back this up with studies and data and a scientist to tell you it’s true because they proved it in a laboratory. All I can say is I feel better knowing I have written my manifesto and that is having a influence on me in daily life. Most likely I will never live up to it’s ideals , and it will change as I change, but I’m just glad it’s always there for me to check in with.
Everything you need to know to write a Manifesto
The good news is, this is a project with no rules. The less good news is, no one can do it for you. This is something you have to do alone.
The style of it is up to you. You have to find you own way of crafting it. You may want to read some other inspiring manifesto’s to get a sense of it.
It may be a list of principals. It may be a poem. It could even be a photograph or a painting. The only cardinal rule I’ll fight for is it has to feel alive for you. It has to feel like it’s breathing, like it’s something you can really grab onto. It can’t just be some intellectual idea. It’ has to have some JUICE
I’ll throw out a few ideas as fertilizer for you:
Aims and ideals.
A place I always start is values or principals. Since I believe they are the force that truly guides us, they provided a fertile territory to explore and you’ll want to build the high value ones into your Manifesto - A Manifesto is a capital M.
MPOWER is the gift of putting it all out there and laying the cards on the table.
Language matters.
However you decide to write it, make the words come alive. BE BOLD in the language of your manifesto.
Some people like topics.
You may want to break it into topics, like work life or relationships, or some other idea that you are passionate about. Sometimes starting with topics can be a good icebreaker. A word of caution is try not to make it too topic specific. You want to be able to have a Manifesto that encompasses a overall vision.
Pen to paper.
I’d like to offer that you go old school on this one, and don’t use a computer to write it down. Writing makes you take you time, and there is something more sacred about it. The hand connects to the heart You might even get some really nice paper and frame your manifesto. Who knows. One day when you are gone your manifesto may show up somewhere as a hidden relic, or you may gift it to a loved one.
A final thought
I hope this has inspired you to consider creating and writing your own Manifesto. It may even be a project you could create inside of your organization.
A manifesto is a living document. It probably will change over the years, or maybe it will not.
I tried to write mine as if I only got one crack at it, and it had to stand forever. It made the stakes feel bigger for me. But in truth it’s something you can change and modify and keep relevant depending on where you are in your life.
Some people may feel it’s gimmicky to have one, but I know that in my life I have had to opportunity to meet and know some incredible teachers, and all of them carried themselves through the world on their Manifesto’s. You knew when you met them, they lived inside of something big, that could not be shaken by the fads of the moment.
That is the power and the depth that a Manifesto can bring to your life.
Here is my manifesto.
If you would like to talk to me about your own vision, feel free to book a complimentary discovery session.
