How To Make A Personal Manifesto – Do You Need One?

Ohmygosh! So I finished my manifesto last night and I’m so excited I had to write about it today! Yesterday morning I was stumped on what I wanted to write about this week and was resigned to not posting anything at all. Then all of a sudden, I had like three ideas. I don’t think my manifesto made me more open or creative yesterday, but…

I am relatively new to social media, and admit one of my favorite procrastination techniques is getting click happy. Pinterest is my favorite place to do so. I easily get carried away in swirls of articles. I cannot believe how much information is out there on the world wide web.

I have read a lot of articles on personal growth…you know, how to be your best self and all that. I’ve found a lot of awesome stuff in so many places. But I wanted all my favorite motivating content in one place for me every day. And not one place as in one ‘board’ that contained 76 articles or quotes that I had to scroll thru to get the message I needed to hear.

So I made a manifesto.

I have been working on my manifesto for months – I just didn’t know it. In my pursuit of my best self, I have learned there are four things we should all be doing every day that work wonders for personal happiness: affirmations, visualization, meditation, and gratefulness.

WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?!

Who has time for ALL FOUR every day?! I’ve tried…but jeez! For some reason all of them can’t seem to find their way onto my priority list every day. I saw a personal manifesto the other day (on pinterest of course) and thought “that looks like a fun project, and HEY! I could use it as a tool for affirmations and visualization”.

Then, the more I thought about what to put in my manifesto, the more I thought I could use it for gratefulness, and perhaps meditation too!

TESTED IT OUT THIS MORNING

So exciting! I propped it up on my table outside, sat comfortably and relaxed and looked it over – carefully – almost mumbling what I was reading. (Actually saying it clearly would probably be better.) I sat there for maybe 10 minutes, just soaking up all the goodness.

It was awesome!

GETTING STARTED

When I first found the manifesto idea, I did a bit of research on how to make one, but I quickly found they are very personal and there aren’t any rules. You can do whatever your heart desires. However, this is how I made mine, and what I would recommend:

On a sheet or two of lined paper, answer these questions using long sentences or short phrases. Write as many answers to each as you would like.

~What do you want to hear every day?

~What do you need to hear every day?

~What do you wish you believed?

~What would you like to focus on?

~Are there any lyrics, sayings, or quotes that resonate with you?

Second, take a highlighter and mark the words you really want to stand out on your manifesto. I started with 7-10 main words like Artist, Forgive & Focus, Shine, Brilliant, Bright & Beautiful. Then go thru the rest and mark some secondary words you would like to stand out. Have as many as you like!

Next, find a plain sheet of paper (I used 9×12) and some colored pens, colored pencils, and/or highlighters. Starting with your main words, place them anywhere on the paper, using any design you want, using large type! Write any other words that go with your main words next to your main words. Example: I am an ARTIST. ‘Artist’ was my main word then I added ‘I am an’.

Follow the same instructions for your secondary words. Then fill in the empty spaces with any other sayings or sentences you have not added yet. *I would suggest trying to work in blocks. If (I mean when!) I do another, I will pay more attention to blocks.

EMBELLISH!!!

Highlight, color, doodle, and decorate to your heart’s content! Have fun, get creative! Make borders to separate ideas and fill in any gaps with hearts, flowers, or whatever.

DO YOU NEED ONE?

I am already imagining the benefits from this project. If you are anything like me, you could do with more positivity and less negativity in your head each day. I relished “meditating” on my manifesto this morning and can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.  

So far, I have come up with these benefits to creating a personal manifesto:

~Get your creative juices flowing. Creativity begets creativity.

~Creative Outlet. Creativity is a stress reliever, good for physical and mental health.

~The feeling of making something unique is awesome.

~All the goodness you need to hear, all in one place.

~A reminder; something to refer to when you are down in the dumps.

~Time saver; because it is so difficult to fit in visualization AND affirmations AND meditation AND gratefulness into EVERY SINGLE DAY.

AND

~It is all written out already, by and for the very person who needs it. No need to struggle to figure out (or remember) what affirmations you should be telling yourself each day.

Finally, pin up your manifesto somewhere you will see it every day so that you remind yourself how AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, and CREATIVE you are!

And as a bonus, meditate on it…visualize going thru your day believing every single word on your new magnificent manifesto!