A friend recently shared with me that when they first heard of our business name, and the title of our upcoming book – My Manifesto – that they had an initial negative reaction to the term ‘manifesto’. As they explained further, their association was caught up with the idea that a manifesto was a public declaration that can mandate people on how they must live. This is a common understanding, with people often referring to The Communist Manifesto. Other famous manifestos include The Ten Commandments, The US Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech.
Having listened to, and understood, my friend’s existing associations with the term, they then turned to me and asked, so how do you and Sue think of the term, and what actually is a personal manifesto?
I wanted to provide my friend, and now our blog readers, with three different but related ways to conceptualise a personal manifesto. I wonder which one resonates the most with you.
Firstly, I drew upon our formal definition, where we describe a personal manifesto as a private declaration of your wisdom and intentions. We enjoy the word ‘declaration’ – you are uncovering, revealing, and then declaring these insights to yourself. And the insights that you are declaring are a combination of the personal wisdom you have gained over your years and the intentions of how you want to be in this world.
Secondly, I went with a more emotive description, and shared that your personal manifesto is a treasured document expressing what is deeply important to you. The word ‘treasured’ arises from how Sue and I feel personally about our manifestos, but it is also almost universally shared by our clients when they arrive at their current manifesto and feel the power and the pride in the document they have created. There are many, many things that are important to us – maybe too many for us to ever express, however, the joy of connecting and articulating (in our own words) what matters most is uplifting and rewarding. To be able to read, and re-read whenever you wish, your personal manifesto is the essence of this guiding and comforting document.
Thirdly, I leant into a more aspirational view of a personal manifesto, and shared that a personal manifesto is your way of saying how you wish to be, the direction you wish to head, and the contribution you hope to make. In other words, it can be simply viewed as an aspirational description of your best life.
The reason for three slightly different viewpoints is to help as many people feel that they can relate to the concept of a personal manifesto and believe that having such a document would be valuable and also quite achievable.
Our book, launching in six weeks, compassionately guides you through seven steps and twenty-one exercises. We are confident you will embark upon an extraordinary journey of self-discovery. As you reveal your personal manifesto, you will see your life with new eyes. You will discover profound personal insights; empowered decision-making abilities; minimised internal conflicts; enhanced navigation through life’s challenges; and a renewed sense of hope.
We wish you well, and we welcome your feedback, as we continue to learn and grow from your insights.