Categories: Manifesto

What is a Manifesto?

What is a Manifesto?

If we’re going to talk about creating a manifesto the rather obvious question is: What is a manifesto?

The word ‘Manifesto’ comes from the latin word ‘manifest‘ which means ‘to make visible or to reveal‘. A manifesto reveals your intent.

Most dictionaries define a manifesto as:

A public declaration of intent.

Let’s look at these three words in a little more detail and in reverse order to explain that further…

Intent

Your intent is what you set out to achieve. It is your aim or purpose. Your intent may be a goal, a vision, a mission, an outcome, a plan, a plot or a design.

Declaration

A declaration is an announcement or proclamation that creates the future. For example, a judge may sentence a criminal to go to jail. And, by making this announcement, it becomes a binding legal agreement that determines that criminals immediate future. In our own lives we make declarations everyday. Some obvious ones include: I’m going to bed, I’m having chocolate, I think I’ll call…

In linguistic terms, a declaration is the opposite of a description. When we describe things we merely note how it appears to us. Declarations are not descriptive, they’re creative.

Public

Public is the opposite of private. Going public may mean posting ‘it’ on the internet for the world to see or it may be shared with a group of friends. Either way, you make it available rather than keep it locked in a drawer.

Three Rules for Manifestos

From this definition we have three simple rules for creating a manifesto:
1.    Manifestos outline what you set out to achieve. What do you want to achieve?
2.    Manifestos create the future. What’s the future you desire?
3.    Manifestos are shared publicly. Who can you share your  manifesto with?

To help you better understand ‘What is a manifesto?’ you might like to consider some examples. We’ve collected over 200 at 1000manifestos.com.

 

Geoff McDonald

Share
Published by
Geoff McDonald

Recent Posts

Midlife Entrepreneur: Why It’s the Perfect Time to Start

MIT research just proved that entrepreneurs at 50 succeed at twice the rate of those…

4 days ago

From Corporate Insider to Industry Icon in 3 Steps

If you want to move from corporate insider to industry icon, then you need to…

2 weeks ago

Knowledge Monetization – 5 Mistakes That Keep Experts Broke

Here's a brutal truth about knowledge monetization: 95% of experts with incredible knowledge make less…

3 weeks ago

Monetize Your Expertise – Turn Your Experience Into Income

How do you monetize your expertise and turn decades of experience into a legacy and…

3 weeks ago

Four Thousand Weeks – Say Goodbye to Procrastination

Still waiting for the perfect time to start? That moment isn’t coming. If you’re ready…

1 month ago

The Productivity Lie That’s Making You Miserable: 4000 Weeks

You’ve been lied to. There’s a lie that’s everywhere — in your planner, your inbox, your…

1 month ago