Your personal manifesto is a written declaration you present to yourself affirming who you are, your ideals and principles, your objectives and the working plan to achieve them.
Unless God leads you down a different path, your personal manifesto can be the road map to your future.
A personal manifesto outlines your identity, objectives, action plan and support base. Things can change and plans can go awry as they often do. However, that shouldn’t deter you from drafting your personal manifesto to clarify who you are, what you want, why and what course of action you will need to take to attract the support you will need and thus position yourself to successfully reach your goals.
Do you have a clear idea of what you want and where you want to go with your life? If everything is still only in your head, that’s where it will stay and might never see the light of day.
Your personal manifesto will help to:
Clarify your ideals, beliefs and goals. Most often, it is in writing down a thought or an idea that we understand its true and deeper meaning. Seeing the words on the page, or reading them on a computer screen places it in the realm of greater possibility. It is almost as if the thought or idea speaks for the first time and says: “I am here, I am real and I am possible.”
The act of writing down your ideals and your beliefs crystallises them. The cloudiness you lived with before begins to dissipate as you are forced to walk through the nebulous thoughts that have been roaming around in your head and make your way to a clear-cut, realistic and confident stance on who you are, what you believe, and what you want.
Carve the path to your desireddestination. When you spread your vision out on paper, you are better able to examine it objectively, simplify its complexities, plug its loopholes, and orchestrate its possibilities. Failure to see all sides and the inside could blind you to congruent opportunities, cause you to take wrong turns, stumble, fall and fail altogether.
Confucius, the Chinese philosopher said: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
But unless you have a clear idea of the journey, the destination, and what it entails, the path could morph into a jumble of impossible steps.
When you mix the busy, crowded reality of your present with the hazy picture of the future you want, finding and taking that crucial first step seems almost impossible. Begin drafting your manifesto and the path will emerge. And as you peruse the path, understand, analyze and dissect it, the steps will become clearer and easier to undertake.
Classify and choose your supporters. A clear and realistic manifesto does not guarantee all-out support for your ideas and efforts. However, without a manifesto to help you attract the ideal supporters, you’re looking at a lonely journey.
You don’t have to throw your ideas out there and stand idly by waiting for the sharks to rip them to shreds, leaving you beaten down and dejected. You don’t have to simply settle for the few “friendly fish” that remain behind.
A manifesto is not complete without a list of your ideal supporters. You can find them without wearing your heart on your sleeve. With your manifesto in hand, you can choose what information to use to attract the most supportive people.
Drop a few hints, see their reactions and make your selection. Then begin to feed them some of the real meat. You may still have to cut some supporters loose, but at least it will be your call. Keep the ball in your court.
Curb overwhelming feelings and scattered focus. Far too often, we train our eyes on the outcome we want to see. And while it is advisable to be focused, we can get so caught up in the glory of it all that we neglect to pay attention to the work involved in getting there and when the reality hits us, we grow fearful, weary and overwhelmed.
But the pathway from the ideas in our head to achievement doesn’t have to be so overpowering. One day at a time; one step at a time, is a motto that will help you to move only as fast as the reality of your daily life will allow. Don’t fight with — or gripe about — how your life is now. Work with it; work around it. There is always a way and if you can’t see it yourself, ask for help.
Do you have several major goals in mind? Draft a short manifesto for each one. Define it and its anticipated benefits, list what you will need and where you will find it. Where will you find support? Outline the programme of actions that will take you to the end. Then take the next goal through the same process.
Most likely you can only pursue one goal at a time. Choose one based on its ease of attainment because an early success in one thing can truly boost your confidence and motivate you to go after another that might require greater effort and take longer to achieve.
You will grow weary; it is natural, you’re human. Take care of yourself and you will uncover your hidden ability to curb the negative feelings. Draft your personal manifesto and step up to the plate of actions that are necessary to reach your goals.
Writing a manifesto for your life and your goals is an exercise in discovery and clarity. Draft yours today. Unless God leads you down a different path, your personal manifesto can take you out of the realm of vague ideas and wishes and on the road to your future. With a manifesto you can keep focused and on track.
