Don Miguel Ruiz – The Four Agreements

Creator

Don Miguel Ruis is the author of The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. This book has sold more than 8 million copies in the US and has been translated into 46 languages worldwide.

Purpose

Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offers a code of conduct to help you transform your life and bring happiness and love. These agreements are the ones we make with ourselves, with others, with God and with life itself.

Don Miguel Ruiz - The Four Agreements book cover

Manifesto

1 Be impeccable with your word
The most important and most difficult agreement to honor – Choose your words carefully and be responsible for what you say.

2 Don’t take anything personally
This agreement helps to limit the impact of hurtful treatment by others in life.

3 Don’t make assumptions
Instead of assuming what you belief, ask questions to avoid suffering.

4 Always do your best
Bring the first three agreements together to live to your full potential.

Source

https://www.miguelruiz.com/the-four-agreements

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Agreements

Comment

I love the simplicity of this – four agreements – four simple things to do each and every moment of each and every day.

The great challenge with simplicity is that it takes time and effort to distill your idea down to its core principles.

As Mark Twain once said: ”If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready today. If you want me to speak for just a few minutes, it will take me a few weeks to prepare.”

Worth the effort!

Also, notice the word ‘agreement’. These are not laws, rules, guides, commandments, principles or pillars.

What you call your manifesto is crucial – it sets the tone and flavour for how to relate to it.

In this case, ‘agreements’ is totally consistent with a manifesto with the intent of promoting ‘personal freedom’.

It says, ‘you are free to agree to this, or not’. It just wouldn’t work or have the same meaning if they were commandments.

More

Yvonne Collier – Manifesto for Life

Chris Guillebeau – The Art of Non-Conformity

Todd Henry – Die Empty

The Seven Rules of Done

Creator

Geoff McDonald, author of Done and curator of 1000Manifestos.com

Purpose

The Seven Rules – They are rules because they are principles, guidelines, actions, procedures and hopefully useful! They are the seven key ideas that allow us to move from the usual way of doing project planning to the more holistic view of project design.

Geoff McDonald - Done: How to finish your projects when traditional ways don't work

Manifesto

1 Stop planning!

The old saying suggests that ‘if we fail to plan, we plan to fail’. But planning is not enough – particularly when it only describes what are we are going to do. We need to stop planning and start designing to include our motivations, inspirations, and passion for our projects.

2 Don’t fix your problems

We all know what we want. But most of what we want is to fix something that went wrong in our past. This is limiting and it’s not satisfying either. Instead, we need to clear the decks of our past if we want to create a truly compelling future.

3 Inner over outer

When we fail at things we presume we are the failure. And that we are fatally flawed in some way. That’s human nature. But the real problem is we fail because we choose the wrong type of goal. We need to focus on our internal motivations to keep us going when we face the dip, an obstacle or simply when it all gets too hard.

4 Rules rule!

As the world has become more complex our plans for the future have also become more complex. Fighting complexity with more complexity is a recipe for confusion, chaos, and disaster. Instead, we need to develop simple rules to make it easier to navigate in complex situations. Think traffic lights!

5 Ship smaller sooner

Traditionally we aim to deliver one big thing at the end of our projects. The problem with this approach is the lack of feedback. This leaves us wide open for creating something that nobody wants. Been there, done that! That’s a short cut to “Why did I waste my time doing that?” Or worse, “What is wrong with these people, don’t they recognise my brilliant work?” That’s not going to lead you to a happy place. Instead, we need to create smaller versions of our final big thing to find out what will ultimately work.

6 Structure shapes success

The usual story is that we fail because of a lack of willpower, discipline or focus. This only tells part of the story as there are forces bigger than us at work impacting us in invisible ways. Therefore, we need to design our environments to promote the behaviours we want and to stifle those we don’t.

7 You have to change

When we create our projects our focus is naturally on the end result. However, if that’s all we do we miss a big opportunity. The real purpose of our project is to create a change in our situation and to make that change stick. To do that we need to change!

Source

Geoff McDonald and his book Done: How to finish your projects when traditional ways don’t work

Comment

The language we use in our manifesto is the key to giving it a decisive edge.

There’s something strong and definitive about saying things are ‘rules’. It implies following them, sticking to them and using them as boundaries.

Compare this to principles, guidelines, things… All useful but provide a different flavour to our message.

Further, the rules that follow also need to have a mix of familiarity and intrigue. I believe some need to be relatively obvious – for instance, most people will understand ‘rules rule’. It implies that rules are important.

In contrast, ‘inner over outer’ is less obvious. It begs the question, what specifically is ‘in and out’ referring to? In this case it’s about inner and outer motivation styles.

Stop Planning is another interesting rule because it is provocative – it challenges our usual thinking.

Plus, we want our rules to be sexy and slightly clever (not too clever). For instance, the alliteration (using the same sound or letter) of ‘Ship Smaller Sooner’ rolls off the tongue and becomes a snappy idea. It’s much more engaging than ‘Get things done quicker’.

When you’re writing your manifesto, pay attention to the words you use – words have meaning and impact. Choose carefully. Play with a thesaurus to figure out the right ones. And test this with a live audience face-to-face to reveal their emotional impact.

More

Geoff McDonald, The Manifesto Manifesto

Geoff McDonald, The Expert Manifesto

The Cult of Done

Gihan Perera – Nine Things Successful Leaders Do Now

Creator

Gihan Perera, author of The Future of Leadership and multiple other books

Purpose

The rules of this manifesto form the basis for a book and training for working with corporate clients.

Gihan Perera - The Future of Leadership: Nine Things Successful Leaders Do Now

Manifesto

Part One: Be a Leader they want to follow

1       Show Up: Make time to lead

2       Speak Up: Cut through the clutter

3       Step Up: Stand for something

Part Two: Build a Team they want to be a part of

4       Light Up: Foster innovation

5       Wise Up: Build their judgment

6       Tune Up: Accelerate the experience curve

Part Three: Reach out to a World that wants to help

7       Team Up: Find talent everywhere

8       Partner Up: Join forces

9       Link Up: Leverage trust

Source

Comment

This is an elegant rule-based manifesto with a simple structure.

First, there are three parts reflecting three levels of leadership – leading the self, leading teams and leading in the wider world. This provides a neat way to provide an overview of your entire framework.

Second, there are three items for each part which provide actions steps and goals to be achieved for each item and each part.

Third, there is a consistent palette of words for each item all used a single keyword combined with ‘up’ as a consistent phrase. When this works well it is simple and elegant. Be cautious of forcing words to fit as it may come across as being contrived.

More

Dr Alan Graham – A Toxic Leader Manifesto – the other side of leadership, how not to do it

Geoff McDonald – The Expert Manifesto

Napoleon Hill – Laws of Success

The Hate U Give

Creator

The Hate U Give is a 2018 film directed by George Tillman Jr with a screenplay by Audrey Wells.

The film is based on the 2017 debut novel of Angie Thomas – which has the same name.

Purpose

Thomas was writing was intended to “expand readers’ understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as difficulties faced by black Americans who are forced to code switch.” (Wikipedia)

Manifesto

Trailer Video

Source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hate_U_Give_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hate_U_Give

Comment

Manifestos can come in many forms. This is an example of a worldview that is expressed as both a book and a film – it’s showcasing how the world may be for some black people in the US.

From a manifesto viewpoint, it presents a call to action hinted at by the title – It’s ‘the hate you give’.

This is most evident in the final scenes of the movie where:

  • The lead character Starr addresses a face-off between rioters and police; and
  • As her family ‘rebuilds’ after the arrest of a lead character and the suggestion that anything can be achieved when a community comes together.

More

Related: The Black Panther 10 Point Program is mentioned several times in this movie.

Related: Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech

Patterson Stark: The 100 and Sexy Manifesto

Patterson Stark: Live Now, Die Later

Creator: Patterson Stark, health practitioner and author of “Live Now, Die Later”

Purpose: Seven simple things that you can do to promote longevity, health and happiness. Plus live to 100 years of age and still be sexy.

The 100 and Sexy Manifesto

1.  Focus on good health! – Know what it take to make the grade and review this often.

2.  Great Relationships are the best medicine! – Do you belong in your tribe?  Have a reason to get up each day and help someone else – it’s strong medicine!

3.  Food is life! – Every 3 hours eat it right, fresh, wholesome – no crap .

4.  Exercise can kill you! – If you don’t get your hour per day and love what you’re doing and who you’re with.

5  Water is the the fountain of life! – Most of us are dehydrated. Water can stop heart attacks, dementia and strokes!

6.  Have a medical plan of prevention! – Not an intervention plan.

7.  Personal time, quiet time! – Reflection and gratitude are the virtual elixir of longevity.

 

Source

Stark Health Website

Live Now, Die Later – Website of the Book

 

Hannah Samuel: The 10 Commandments of Reputation Branding

Hannah Samuel: Reputation Branding Ten CommandmentsCreator: Hannah Samuel, co-author of The Integrity Factor with Ricky Nowak.

Purpose: We need guidelines to make sure we can create and maintain a positive reputation.

The 10 Commandments of Reputation Branding

1. Make it easy for others to speak well of you

2. Keep abreast of changing values and expectations

3. Seek win-win outcomes from every interaction

4. Never assume others think or feel the same way you do

5. Do not gossip or be disparaging about your competitors

6. When in doubt, ask yourself: ‘Is this likely to damage or enhance my reputation?’

7. Accept responsibility and accountability for your actions

8. Avoid over-promising and under-delivering

9. Never breach the bond of trust you build with clients and others

10. Always act with integrity

 

Source

Authors Website: http://www.hannahsamuel.com/

Manifesto spotted in Hannah’s newsletter.

Facebook Page: www.Facebook.com/HannahSamuelSpeaker

Michael Tunison: The Football Fan’s Manifesto

Football Fan Manifesto

Creator: Michael Tunison, football blogger at KissingSuzyKolber.com. His book, The Football Fan’s Manifesto was published by Harper Collins in 2009.

Purpose: The essential rules and ten commandments that every football fan should know.

The Football Fan’s Ten Commandments

1. You Must Choose Your Team by the Age of Eight.

2. Value That Team Above All Else, Even Yourself.

3. Under No Circumstances Can You Switch Teams (And Expect to Live).

4. There is a Limit to the Amount of Merchandise You Can Own (But It’s Very Generous).

5. Sportsmanship is for the Athletes. Fans Can Gloat Endlessly.

6. A Self-Induced Coma to Skip the Off-season is a Practical Solution to an Annoying Problem.

7. An Inoffensive Fantasy Football Name is a Lame Fantasy Football Name.

8. Wealth Doesn’t Matter So Long As You Don’t Have to Work Weekends.

9. Respect Superstitions. If Your Team Lost, It’s Because You Jinxed Them.

10. In Life, the Order of Importance: Football First, Football Second, Football Third, Family . . . uh, I Don’t Know, twelfth?

Source

Book Promo: http://www.harpercollins.com.au/books/Football-Fans-Manifesto-Michael-Tunison/?isbn=9780061735141

Authors Blog: http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/

Jeff Gailus: The Grizzly Manifesto

The Grizzly Blog

Creator: Jeff Gailus, Journalist and Conversations and author of The Grizzly Blog.

Purpose: Highlight the need for Grizzly Bear conservation in North America.

The Grizzly Manifesto: In Defence of the Great Bear

The following is an extract from the authors blog (source below):

Jeff Galius: The Grizzly Manifesto bookThe grizzly bear, once the archetype for all that is wild, is quickly becoming a symbol of nature’s fierce but flagging resilience in the face of humanity’s growing appetite for natural resources — and of the difficulty our wealth-addicted society has in changing its ways.

North America’s grizzlies survived the arrival of spear-wielding humans 13,000 years ago, outlived the short-faced bear, the dire wolf and the sabre-tooth cat—not to mention mastodons, mammoths and giant ground sloths the size of elephants—but a growing wave of urbanization and industrialization continues to push the Great Bear further north and west, just as it has since Europeans arrived in its home 400 years ago.

Despite their relatively successful recovery in Yellowstone National Park, the bears’ decline in Canada continues largely unchecked. The front line in this centuries-old battle for survival has shifted to western Alberta and southern BC, where outdated mythologies, rapacious industry and disingenuous governments continue to push the Great Bear into the mountains and toward a future that may not have room for them at all.

Source

Article: http://www.canmoreleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3139322

Author’s Blog: http://grizzlyblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/grizzly-manifesto.html

Rob Walling: The Micropreneur Manifesto

Rob Walling's Micropreneur Manifesto

Creator: Rob Walling, author of Start Small, Stay Small.

Purpose: Distill the key points you’ll need as a micropreneur or solo founder to create and launch products that make a difference, provide amazing value to niche markets and change their own little corner of the world.

The Micropreneur Manifesto

  1. It’s Much Harder Than It Looks.
  2. There is Power in Working Alone.
  3. Focus on Your Strengths.
  4. Freelancing is Dangerous.
  5. Seek Leverage.
  6. Stay Away from “Moonshot” Ideas.
  7. Product Last. Market First.
  8. Charge for Your Product.
  9. Passion Isn’t All it’s Cracked Up to Be.
  10. The Pressure of Freedom.
  11. Become a Black Belt Internet Marketer.
  12. Think Human Automation.
  13. The More You Do in Public, the Faster Things Will Move.
  14. Failure is an Option.
  15. Live Like a Pauper, Treat Your Business Like a King.
  16. Reject Growth.

Source

Download: http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/80.03.MicropreneurManifesto

Author’s Website: http://www.softwarebyrob.com/

Alina Tugend: The Mistake Manifesto

Alina Tugend Mistake Manifesto

Creator: Alina Tugend, Author of Better By Mistake

Purpose: Our fear of mistakes has a high cost – we spend energy blaming each other and we avoid daring and innovation.

Manifesto

While I am not advocating that we all run around blundering and goofing up all the time—and certainly none of us like dealing with people who make the same mistake over and over—our fear of mistakes has a very high cost.

We exert enormous energy blaming each other when something goes wrong rather than finding a solution. Defensiveness and accusations take the place of apologies and forgiveness. Mistake-avoidance creates workplaces where making changes and being creative while risking failure is subsumed by an ethos of mistake-prevention—at the cost of daring and innovation.

  1. Teach supervisors about growth mindsets versus fixed mindsets.
  2. Make sure you don’t say one thing and do another.
  3. Mimstakes shouldn’t just be accepted, but rewarded.
  4. Learn to communicate well.
  5. Know how to apologise and how to accept apologies.

Source

Download: http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/81.04.MistakeManifesto

Author’s Website: http://www.alinatugend.com/