Hi. Welcome to Bloom Anywhere. I'm Gwen Moran, a writer, editor, author, and problem-solver. My goal is to share information, ideas, and resources to help you overcome obstacles, reach your goals, and get more joy out of life, even when things are messy. Thanks for joining me. (If you got this from a friend, subscribe here: Bloom Anywhere.) I'd love your feedback and suggestions for future topics. Please send me an email: connect@bloomanywhere.com.
The first time I wrote a “manifesto” was during my senior year in college. The assignment was to write what life would look like in five years. I wrote it, and promptly forgot about it.
I came across the paper years later and realized that I had fulfilled most of the dreams I had outlined. I had written that I would work in New York City and be running my own business within five years—a bold statement for someone who hadn’t yet been fully responsible for feeding and housing herself. I began my career at a top publishing house and launched my first business at the age of 26. I predicted that I would have a full life with a bustling social calendar. (Check and check.) And I’d also thought I’d be in a happy relationship. I had just wrapped up a not-so-happy one. Well, four out of five isn’t bad.
The process helped me realize the power of writing my goals persuasively and compellingly. On a few occasions over the years, I’ve written similar multi-page manifestos when I felt the need for a change in the trajectory of some aspect of my life.
Now, in a period of transition again, with my daughter out of college and new goals I want to achieve, I have started writing a new manifesto. But one of those internal voices showed up and asked a question.
Was I doing it right? I needed answers.
The Making of a New Manifesto
I turned to Google and typed in “how to write a manifesto.” Of course, this Fast Company piece by my friend and colleague Stephanie Vozza came up. She shares advice from Charlotte Burgess-Auburn, director of community at Stanford d.school and author of You Need a Manifesto: How to Craft Your Convictions and Put Them to Work. Burgess-Auburn had created a personal manifesto curriculum. In the piece, Stephanie writes: “A personal manifesto is a set of statements that make up rules for your life. It’s a touchstone that helps you reconnect with what’s important, and it becomes a methodology for staying true to your values, goals, and intentions.”
So, it didn’t necessarily have to be the sprawling document that I had written in the past. I could write a brief set of guiding principles to help me chart a course. Hm.
This reminded me of my friend Annie Logue’s manifesto for her entertaining and informative newsletter, The Whatever Years. It’s a series of eight short statements that are smart, sharp, and witty, much like Logue. They include (not in order):
- We’re going to take on our future, whether we have one day or 50 years left.
- Voting matters.
- We have standards. We will never wear putty-colored comfort shoes.
During our call, Logue explained that she had experienced significant change and loss before writing her manifesto. “I’m at an age where things are changing a lot,” she says, adding: “I think it's a good exercise. I think it's good to be like, ‘Okay, I'm going to declare who I am, what's going on now, what I care about, and I think in particular, now that we're in an era of societal upheaval. But I think that's also important for people to figure out what their stand is now. I wrote [the manifesto] going through a year of personal upheaval, and I thought it was important to make my stand.”
Post-It Notes Work, Too
Recently, another friend of mine relocated across the country for a new job, part of a commitment to transforming her life. Stephanie Knific works in higher education and has also been through a period of transition. Her two children were in college, and she knew she wanted to make a change. “I learned to really do some introspection and look and say, ‘What is my worth and where do I really want to be?’ And that's not for everybody,” she says. The exercise requires uncomfortable honesty, and the answers may conflict with the needs and wants of family, career, and other life components.
So, Knific wrote her manifesto on a collection of pink Post-it notes that she placed in visible locations, such as around the bathroom mirror and in her car. “They reminded me of what I should be doing, how to value myself, and where I wanted to be,” she says. She says they helped motivate her to begin looking for a new job in a new part of the country. Within a few months, she found a suitable fit at a university in Vermont and made the move, even buying her new home over Memorial Day weekend without having seen it in person. “It was a whirlwind,” she says. And she says her new job and hometown are everything she wanted when she was writing her manifesto.
Her advice to those considering writing their own manifesto?
“Go for it. Because if you don't change, nothing will. You have to do it yourself. You're in control of it. I think that's the hardest thing. Sometimes we're looking for others to help to kind of guide us or agree with us, but it has to come from within. You really have to want it, and have confidence, which I think comes as you get older,” she says.
Of course, writing your manifesto isn't a guarantee that things will magically turn out the way you wish. Each of my manifesto writers—including me—worked hard to live by their values and change their lives. However, when you start trying new things, it’s easy to get distracted by opportunities that don’t align with who you are or what you want, and can act as a touchstone to keep you focused and moving in the right direction.
Please let me know if you decide to write your own manifesto. Or let me know if you have written one in the past. I’d love to hear about it. Send a note to connect@bloomanywhere.com.
Bloom Drops
Things I want to share with you if you need a pick-me-up.
Pepping up: Having a bad day? Maybe you need some encouragement from a Kindergartener. Peptoc is a public art project hotline you can call if you’re feeling mad, need encouragement, or just need to hear how great you look, among other kind words. Simply dial 707-PEPTOC (707-873-7862) and choose the menu option that suits your mood. You can also get a pep talk in Spanish.
Going to the dogs: Sometimes, you just need to look at cute dogs. The We Rate Dogs Insta is full of adorable pups of all ages. (Sorry, cat-lovers. While there are a few We Rate Cats social media accounts out there, they haven't gained the traction of the canine version.)
Reducing stress: I’ve interviewed several health and psychology experts who say that progressive muscle relaxation can be an effective stress management technique. I’ve tried it and it works for me. In short, you align the tensing and relaxing of different muscle groups with your breathing. Here are more detailed instructions on how to do it, courtesy of WebMD.
