Create Your
MANIFESTO The Change Agent's Handbook The Vitality Practices: Capstone 1
Copyright @ 2016 by Valerie Burlingame All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. When in doubt, contact The Change Agency or Valerie Burlingame directly. Book Design by Vicki Wilson Creative Direction by Leah Adcock-Starr Lead Editor: Friedel Fisher Copy Editor: Kathleen Buchanan Art and Photography Credits: Katie Boyle, Friedel Fisher, Valerie Burlingame, Vicki Wilson, Charles Peterson This work is solely for the purpose of personal growth and education. This work is not a substitute for professional assistance such as therapy, counseling, or medical advice. In the event of physical or mental distress, consult with appropriate health professionals. Application of the protocols and recommendations in this book are applied at the agency of each reader, who assumes full responsibility for their understandings, interpretations, and results. The author and The Change Agency assume no responsibility for the actions or choices of the reader.
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DISCERN STORY
OF POWER USAL REF
RESOURCEFULLY REFRAME
RUN TOWARD FEAR
FILL YOUR WELL
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The Holstee Manifesto, created by co-founding brothers Dave and Mike Radparvar and Fabian Pfortmüller is probably one of the best known manifestos on the web today. What began as a guiding light for their work, resonated with so many people across the world that it has been translated into 13 different languages. From their website: “One of the first things the trio did when they started Holstee was sit down on the steps of Union Square in New York City and write down why they were starting Holstee. Together, they decided what they wanted from this new company and moreover, what they wanted from life. This message to their future selves became known as The Holstee Manifesto. Originally placed quietly on their website’s About page, the message took the world by storm with an estimated 100 million views. The Manifesto has been translated into 13 languages (and counting!), and was called “The New Just Do It” by the Washington Post. The words of the Manifesto continue to guide the company as they explore each month what it means to live with intention and reflection.”
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Wha?
Maybe it is odd to admit, but I often have the sensation that I don't know where I'm going. Not in a day to day way, no, I'm talking about the recurring question that pops into my head - what is all this running about for? I don’t believe I'm alone in this. In our disjointed, distracted, postmodern lives - where diverse philosophies, access to volumes of data, and the nuts on bolts of daily living regularly collide - it's much harder to steer our lives toward the true north of our Calling. If knowledge is power, then the abundance of information and opinions is literally threatening to overload our power grids. People talk a lot about wanting to be authentic. In a more, more, more culture, it's easy to forget that the journey to authenticity is a process of distillation rather than a process of aggregation. To get clear with ourselves about where we are going we need a regular reflection process that helps us to answer these larger questions. We need time to distill and clarify our answers, and finally we need to revisit our answers perhaps to revise them or renew them - on a regular basis. To honor the need to have a true north we've used the first act of this book to journal, collage, question, learn, move toward, and meditate on to what we are saying YES to. To paraphrase what Neruda says in
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his poem from Chapter One; we've made our way, deciphering that fire. Now it's time to bring all that work together. It’s time to write your manifesto. Your manifesto will be like having a talisman to support you on your quest. Manifestos are statements which recall us to the WHY of what we are doing as well as remind us of the compelling vision we have for the future, even if that vision is more of a feeling than a thing in the world yet.
Manifesto Your statement to the worLd at large about what matters most to you The Vitality Practices: Capstone 7
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Photo credit: The Vitality Practices: Capstone 10 Charles Peterson
It feels so amazing to read a good manifesto because it plugs us into the lifeforce of the person who wrote it. Theatre director and educator Valerie Curtis Newton’s manifesto is called: A Manifesto for Creative Survival. You can hear her passion and conviction in lines like: “Equivocation is poison. Have something to say. Be brave enough to say it.” When we read her manifesto we see the vitality and driving force behind Valerie’s work and it helps us to recognize the mirrored aliveness in ourselves.
How to use this guide
It’s best to work through this guide a question at a time, taking notes on your computer or in a journal. I’ve noticed that when people only read through the guide they can get overwhelmed and put it down with the good intention of returning later. That doesn’t work as well. Instead, work through one step at a time, before you know it you’ll have a whole lot of important answers to these powerful questions. Then you can use your answers to cut, paste and refashion into your personal manifesto.
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Why create a Manifesto?
1. The process of creating a manifesto is identity forming and affirming 2. Once finished, a manifesto provides an inspiring and potent connection to what matters most 3. To remind you where you are going and what you are stretching toward 4. To help you embrace the paradoxical feelings of inspiration and terror everyone faces when following their Call 5. To function as a magic spell that when repeated, helps to make your Call manifest
where does the word Manifesto come from? From the Latin - Manifestum To make manifest To make clear or conspicuous
Manifesto
Your statement to the world at large about what matters most to you The Vitality Practices: Capstone 12
Women of Common Earth Manifesto We are the Women of Common Earth Builders’ Guild. We build, design, play, dream, dance, and create together. WHY? Because we strive to build women up, not break them down Because construction, design and building sciences are dominated by men Because when men create, they are seen as strong, competent “makers” and when women create, they are seen as docile, quaint “crafters” Because women need safe spaces to learn about tools, learn the language of construction, build confidence, and be willing to risk and fail Because building shit with women is FUCKING FUN! Because when women create together there is less ego, more play, more acceptance, and more love Because we are sick of work parties where the men getting first dibs on all the cool tools while the women check on the food Because women look sexy in work clothes, tool belts, and steel-toed boots, not just the immobilizing clothing of the fashion industry Because empowered women build strong, kickass communities!
Because women hold more of the consumer power in households in the U.S., they should know where they’re tossing their money and be empowered to make wise choices. Because we are sick of being told “trust me” by work men who do sub-par work Because we can’t ask for help or instruction around men without having to navigate how this may reflect on our entire gender, Because we get asked if we are lost when we browse the lumber section at Home Depot Because we cannot escape the male gaze, and enter into physical labor on job sites constantly aware of this Because our long history as designers and builders of civilizations has not been handed down to us. Instead, women artisans have been working namelessly behind men while the men get the credit in the books Because we’re expected to feel empowered by being told “We can do it” (i.e. Rosie the Riveter) when in reality, we HAVE ALREADY done it Because we frequently see our competence being dismissed in favor of men with less knowledge and experience Because construction sites are notorious for verbal harassment of women Because we are the first to be chosen for underpaid and underappreciated roles like cleanup Because when we show up in the world and physically take up space doing the work we want to do, we get accused of metaphorically or literally whoring ourselves, or asked whose dick we sucked, or told to hit things with our purse, or groped on the job site. Because women who collaborate to create is a force of nature, and all of humanity needs to be reacquainted with the force of nature Because we want to reconnect with our wild women selves, and the use of power tools connects us to the feminine destroyer & creator, and to each other Because building requires us to let go of perfection, be brave, and it’s more fun to do that in the company of other amazing women
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Because what the world needs now, is love, sweet love. And we women can bring it.
The Women of Common Earth, a builder’s guild in Colorado, were inspired by the Riot Girrls Manifesto. The women of the Common Earth Builder’s Guild started working on their manifesto when they realized they wanted to explain why they needed to build classes which excluded men. The document was primarily created by three members of the guild using a Google Doc where they could see each other’s comments. The Google Doc was open to all the female members to comment and add. Alisha Black-Mallon, one of the co-authors, said: “This was our way of talking about standing for something, it juxtaposed what we stood for against all the other things that are more common and already out there.”
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Your Manifesto Let’s get started! We’re going to use a process I designed called DRVN. As in, what are you DRVN by? It’s an acronym which stands for the four areas of inquiry we will explore before you begin assembling your manifesto.
Desire - Reasons - Values - Need
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Part One: Working through the journaling questions
If you are an external processor you may prefer to have a dialogue partner who can ask you these questions and then take notes of what you say.
Desire 1. Do you still really want to say YES to your Call? 2. Why? (Write all the reasons that come to mind for at least two minutes, keep your words going, even if they make no sense yet.) 3. How does your Call make you feel? 4. Describe how you feel, in your body, on a day when you are most in love with your Call.
Reasons 1. Why is this Call so important to you? 2. What are your personal reasons for answering this Call? Look for stories, anecdotes and/or statistics which move you and then write about them. 3. Finish the sentence: I believe‌
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Values 1. Which of your personal values best aligns with your Call? 2. How will answering your Call help you to express or learn more about your values? 3. Finish the sentence: I am committed to...
Need 1. What will the world miss out on if you don’t answer your Call? 2. Who, besides yourself, most needs you to answer this Call? 3. What world will be created as you answer your Call and make the impact you most want to make? Describe this new world or new way in as much detail as you can. 4. Finish the sentence: The world I want to live in‌.
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Part Two: Sifting
1. Read over what you’ve written. Highlight what you like, even if it’s just a word or phrase. 2. As you read, feel free to write more. 3. Check out the other manifestos in this chapter or look for some online. Get inspired!
Part Three: Distilling
1. Begin cutting and pasting what you most resonate with onto a new page. There is no wrong way. Let your intuition, passion and attraction guide you.
Part Four: Share
1. One of the most powerful things you can do is to share your manifesto. Start with people you trust and make sure to let them know what kind of feedback you would find helpful. (Tip: ask them what part they found most inspiring)
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Here you can see the result of a process of manifesto making I went through when starting The Change Agency in June of 2015. This manifesto is posted by my bed and in my office. I read it when I need inspiration for my day, my work, a new project, or before meeting with a new client. It helps me re-orient to my true north.
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The Change Agency Manifesto I wish you to be persuaded; that your success in life is reliant on your own agency. Make time for experiences which offer the greatest opportunities for the learning and transformation you desire. • Do things that bring you vitality. • Allow the practice of courage and vulnerability to crack your dreams wide open. • Cultivate resilience for the long and beautiful journey of coming home to your greatness. We become what we repeatedly do. Cultivate communities of practice that help you come alive, be seen, and become more of what you love. We recognize, Substance is the new Status. The Vitality Practices: Capstone 22
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DRVN Meditation
The source of your power and drive can be found in the combination of things you Desire, the Reasons you desire those things, the Values you hold, and the Need you see out in the world to answer your Calling. Let’s explore in this meditation the embodied experience of Desire, Reasons, Values and Need by visiting the three energy centers in the body of the root chakra, the sacral chakra and the solar plexus chakra, also known as the first, second and third chakras. Begin by making yourself comfortable, you may choose to do this meditation lying down or seated. Start by relaxing your breath and bringing your attention to your hips, legs and feet. As you exhale, imagine tendrils and roots of connective energy reaching from your legs and feet into the earth. Just as the roots of a tree create a network of connection and integration with the earth, so too feel your own energy grounded in, and being provided sustenance by, your connection to Mother Earth. Call to mind that thing you wish to make manifest. It may be a particular thing like a work of art, a business, a book, a child. If you’d like to be even more specific allow yourself to go into the detail of that dream realized now. Is it a workshop, a finished degree, a thriving community, a need that has been met?
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Feel the joy and relief of seeing this dream realized. Breathe in the delight you feel, breathe out gratitude. Allow this feeling to permeate the whole of your body, extending out into the space around you. Breathe in the delight you feel, breathe out gratitude. You are strong and safe. You are able. Now, begin to move your attention to your hips and the bowl of your pelvis. Rock your body from this place or make circular flowing movements if you are sitting. Imagine the vastness of the ocean, the dark and calm depths and the waves as they ebb and flow at shore. Allow yourself to be mesmerized my this fluid rocking or rolling movement for a few long breaths. As you come into stillness take a deep inhale and exhale and notice the resonance of this movement in your body. Desire, creativity and flow live in this energy center of your body, the sacrum, the sex organs the connection to the hips. Allow yourself to feel the sweetness of your Calling, the ways you feel drawn in, the attraction. Feel the need the world has for what you have to offer. Feel the ecstasy of meeting that need. Breathing in, allow yourself to feel the pull. Breathing out, the relief. The ebb and the flow of desire and pleasure.
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Breathe in the magnetism of your Calling, breathe out gratitude. You are emotive and creative. You hold multitudes. Now, begin to move your attention to your solar plexus, the area above your belly button and below your sternum, at the center of your being. Feel the sunny heat and calm warmth of the sun here on a pleasant summer’s day. This energy center, like a lustrous gem, reflects the many facets of your dream. See the shine, the glint of light, and feel the heat radiating out from your center. Breath in the power and radiance of your Calling, breathe out gratitude. Here is the home of your reasons, your motivation, your determination. Here you know the things you value and the future you want to see. Feel the great power of your dream, of your Call. Allow the heat to come pouring off of your body the way the sun shines out in all directions. Breath in the power and radiance of your Calling, breathe out gratitude. You are vital and full of life. You have purpose. Following your exhale begin to imagine the sun of your third chakra shining downward into the ocean of your second chakra. Feel the warmed waters of your second chakra nourishing the roots and earth
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of your first chakra and allow all this powerful, creative energy to cycle gently into the earth through your feet, your hips, your exhale. Breathing in and out, feel the certainty of all you will manifest. Breath in the nourishment you feel at a good job well done. Breathe out gratitude for how you have been partnered on your path. Gratitude for the co-creative forces all around you. Repeat silently to yourself: I Am That. I Am That. I Am That. So it is, and so it will be.
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Takeaways for Everyone: • Create your manifesto!
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