My New Life Manifesto
Around the middle of last year, I started to identify certain traits about myself that I thought may be hindering my progress in various areas of my life. Irony of all ironies, life seemed to get in the way of me sorting them out. Going to Shanghai at end of November last year was quite a life changing trip for many reasons but it really got me thinking about changes I want to make. All this thinking resulted in frantic pacing of my hotel room at 3am one night. I got my notepad out and started frantically scribbling what was going on in my head. What resulted was a manifesto of sorts, a document of how I want my life to change and things I want to do differently. So here’s some stuff I’m actively working on as I move forward into this next chapter of living:
Quick sidebar: I’m copying this straight out of the notebook I wrote it in at 3am that night in the Shanghai hotel room. Apologies in advance if it makes barely any sense.
Get out of your own way
My flaws and capacity to over-think them can be paralysing. Self reflection is good and something I encourage in myself and others, but when you discover something negative during self analysis, you can make a point of dwelling on it to the extent it overwhelms you and holds you back. Your thoughts on it may actually be worse than the reality. Stop letting your hang ups dictate your path. Get out of your own way and LIVE.
Less fear, more action
Put more energy into the execution of your ideas rather than talking yourself out of them. Focus on the solution, not the problem. Stop talking yourself out of stuff.
Be at the table
Remember watching that TED Talk about women leaders? Yeah, get on it. I cannot affect change if I do not march into the boardroom, sit at the table and make myself heard. Enough of thinking my ideas aren’t valid, my opinions don’t count or I don’t deserve opportunities. I have just as much right to be here as anyone else. Step fully and comfortably into the path I’ve created for myself.
Reconnect with reality
As much as I love the digital realm and it has helped me explore sides of myself and my creativity to a greater degree, it has also been detrimental to certain areas of my growth. Our need to feel digitally connected constantly has us living in fear that if we disconnect, we might miss something. The reality is I need to unplug and reconnect back into real life, personal relationships and experiences. I seem to have narrowed the scope of what informs me to almost exclusively online. Get back to life, back to reality.
F*ck your comfort zone
Living within my comfort zone can go screw itself. I have no obligation to make myself or anyone around me comfortable and the reality is that my comfort zone living is stifling me. Get uncomfortable, feel unsettled – my best work will come from fighting to get out of that.
Continue to be the change you want to see
Don’t wait for others, just do it. Baby steps are just as important as giant leaps. Change will come but the changes I want to see will only happen if I am a living, breathing example of them.
Ask for help
Take on opinions, good and bad. Don’t expect people to blow smoke up your ass. Honest opinions have value. If you don’t know something, ask. Screw pride. Be open to learning.
So those are some of my rather broad brush strokes of things I’m going to be working on over the next little while. Have you been reassessing any areas of your life recently? Planning on making any changes? Feel free to share them in the comments.
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Tags: Introspection, Life Changes, Manifesto
and as it turns out I seem to have diametrically opposing views to 99% of the ‘common consensus’. So sometimes I find myself really caring/worrying what people I have NEVER MET think of me. ‘Oh they must think I’m a dreadful mother because I did X or didn’t do Y’. ‘Oh, I can’t write/Tweet/comment on THAT because people will think less of me’. Er, who gives a shit? Because blogs and Twitter are such open forums we can find ourselves caring ridiculous amounts about what people think of us, when in real life, I genuinely care very little what anybody things of me! 
