Truly knowing ourselves is the first step on the path to a joyful and productive life. One of the best tools for self discovery is to create a personal manifesto!
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I thrive on clarity and actionable steps.
And while I consider myself a bit of a free spirit, I also thrive on boundaries.
Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership. Knowing what I am to own and take responsibility for gives me freedom. –Henry Cloud
When you’re trying to figure out who-in-the-world you are, it’s sometimes just as helpful to know who you’re NOT. Weeding out what we don’t want is probably the fastest and clearest way to discovering what we do want!
Once you’ve done the weeding, it’s time to boldly proclaim what you are, what you value and what you believe.
And that, by definition, is a manifesto.
Here is my personal manifesto:
I will
- Eat simply, preparing easy meals with quality ingredients.
- Spend time alone in silence — writing, reading, thinking, praying, creating and observing.
- Go for a walk every day.
- Have everything in my home have a purpose, tell a story or just make me happy.
- Practice gratitude and humility.
- Share what I have (including my time) with others.
- Whenever possible, buy secondhand.
- Create daily rituals and seasonal rhythms.
- Have fewer possessions so that I have to work less to take care of them.
- Try not to compare myself to others.
- Choose to look at things in a positive way.
- Travel as much as possible with as little as possible in my backpack!
I refer to my manifesto on a daily basis. It reminds me of who I am, what I value and what I believe. It encourages me to stick to my chosen path and to not be distracted by all the shiny objects out there!
I’d love to share with you 5 steps that YOU can take today to gain clarity and create a personal manifesto.
WHAT IS A PERSONAL MANIFESTO?
A personal manifesto:
- defines and proclaims your core beliefs
- is a declaration of what a good life means to you
- serves as a daily reminder of who you are and what you stand for
- is a compass to guide you toward your ultimate goals
- helps you make decisions, such as if certain things and people belong in your life
- defines the kind of person you want to be
- can help you make choices, even seemingly mundane choices such as what to eat
The best part of a personal manifesto is that it’s, well, personal!
No one else can do it for you. You’re the one who gets to choose who you want to be, what you want to believe and how you want to live your life. And while all that freedom is great, it can also make it very hard for us to weed out distractions and focus on our fundamental beliefs. To help you dig deep, I’ve broken down the process into these 5 steps:
- Take Stock.
- Visualize.
- Analyze.
- Boldly Proclaim.
- Review.
Take your time as you go through each step, and use the questions to help you refine and clarify.
Before you start, be sure to print out the PERSONAL MANIFESTO WORKSHEETS from our Resource Library. Gain access here:
5 Steps To Create A Personal Manifesto
1.Take Stock.
Mentally walk through your actual, normal, day to day routines.
Where do you sleep? When do you sleep? What time do you get up? What, specifically, do you do in the morning/afternoon/evening? What do you eat? Who do you spend time with? Where do you spend most of your time?
This step is about observing, not analyzing, so try not to make any mental judgements.
Do you struggle getting up and out the door in the morning? See our post on simplifying your morning routine!
2. Visualize.
Now it’s time to mentally picture your ideal day. Close your eyes and see yourself living your best life.
- What does your ideal day look like?
- What does your ideal home environment look like?
- What does your ideal YOU look like?
Try not to filter yourself! See yourself as you want to be. Imagine yourself doing activities that bring you joy, whether they’re done for you or to help other people. Take your time going through the whole day, and try to picture yourself as clearly as you can.
3. Analyze.
So how does your now day compare to your ideal day?
What activities, feelings, qualities do they have in common? What are you already doing that reflects your core values?
These overlaps are a great thing! They show you that you’re moving closer and closer to living the live you desire.
Now think about how the two differ.
What would it take to get you from your current reality to your ideal reality? Do you need to eat differently, think differently, behave differently? Do you need to seek help or ask certain questions? Do you need a mind shift? A priority shift?
What sort of person do you need to become to achieve the life you visualized?
Formulate statements expressing the values that will enable you to live that life. Make sure each statement begins with a verb! Your manifesto is about action — about choosing daily to live the life you’ve envisioned. Your statements can either be true now in your current reality or true in the ideal reality that you’re working toward.
Think about developing a statement in each of these categories. (If the category doesn’t apply to you just give it a miss. Also, feel free to add more categories!)
- home environment
- work environment
- spirituality
- relationships
- legacy
- physical appearance
- personal well being/health
- charity/volunteer
- creativity
- education
- time management
4. Boldly Proclaim.
While just the process of learning to create personal manifesto is powerful, you’ll get the most benefit if you actually write it out.
If you use a computer, be sure to print out several copies.
If you choose to write by hand, use your favorite pen and your best handwriting, and reaffirm each statement as you write it.
Whichever method you use, just be sure to start your manifesto with “I Will” (That’s the boldly part!)
5. Review.
You’ve put in a lot of work to get to this point, so make sure you can actually see and review your manifesto on a daily basis.
Be sure to make multiple copies and put them in places where you hang out the most.
Here are some ideas:
- Frame or laminate it.
- Place it on your bedside table.
- Stick it to the fridge.
- Tack it to your office bulletin board.
- Keep a small laminated copy in your wallet.
- Use it as the home screen on your phone.
Periodically review your manifesto as it will probably change over time. When I was younger I had a rather formal, clean and organized home. Now, well, let’s just say not so much! These days it’s more important to me to have a creative, welcoming home so my current manifesto reflects that.
Congratulations!
You’ve worked through the 5 steps, gotten to know yourself a little better and developed a powerful tool to help you live your very best life. Now go forward, boldly proclaiming who you want to be, what you want to believe and how you want to live your life!
