[photo credit: sugarparody]
Whenever my car dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree, I quickly yank out my Honda Civic owner’s manual to see what might be wrong this particular time.
Sometimes, I have the ability to fix or correct the problem that is now presented before me. (ie. Oh, I see. I’m out of gas again.) Other times, it simply warns me that I’m about to get mugged once again by my mechanic, who must fix the impending doom that will most surely come if I neglect the problem further.
Regardless, the manual brings piece of mind because it is a comprehensive guide that gives me answers to unknown questions when problems arise.
As people, we are not so fortunate however. We are equipped with no such manuals. Thus, many of our more subtle problems often go undetected.
Consequently, we are left to our own devices to develop our manual and subsequent warning systems. The problem is, few, if any of us, ever take the time to do this.
I mentioned in an earlier post last week, Quit Being Less Than 100% You, that Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project, has her own manual posted on her site for all to see. It consists of 12 brief, clearly defined points.
There is a subtle brilliance to her idea. We can’t fix our problems, if we haven’t first laid the groundwork for what we want.
So yesterday I took a few hours to come up with my own manual, a manifesto if you will. There were no rules other than to try and capture my guidelines in brief headings consisting of no more than 4 words, less, if possible.
The Dwyer Manifesto…
1. Be 100% Dean. Anything less is acting, and quite frankly I’m not that good an actor.
2. Think big. Remove the mental barriers that arbitrarily places limits on what I can accomplish.
3. Push Boundaries. My world will be as small as I make it. Expand it by kicking the crap of my comfort zone.
4. Voice my ideas. Say what I think. Create the conversations I want to be a part of and those I feel need to exist.
5. React with kindness. Make this my default reaction to those things that generally cause me to react like the Hulk when I am caught off guard.
6. Squash Negativity. Don’t read newspapers. Stop watching the news. Remove myself from conversations that are destructive in nature.
7. Be available. It’s one thing to say I want to help, it’s another to be there when someone needs it.
8. Be transparent. Admit when I don’t know. Own up to my mistakes. Share my fears.
9. Believe. Greater people than I have made impossible dreams come true simply because they believed they could. Be that guy.
10. Have impact. Whether it is an email, a blog post, a smile or a conversation, act in ways that leave people better off than had they not encountered me at all.
11. Have options. They create freedom. Having none creates self contained prisons.
12. Laugh often. Remember Dr. Norman Cousins cured himself of a terminal disease through laughter.
13. Lead. Don’t be a passenger on someone else’s bus tour.
14. Let go. Holding grudges is toxic. It burns up negative energy that can be used to create amazing things. Just remember that people do the best they can with what they understand about themselves and the world around them.
15. Generate results. This is not the same as being busy. Work less on the right things.
16. Grow. Engage in activities that cause active and constant reflection.
17. Leave the past behind. It was a me that no longer exists. Catch myself when I am attempting to resort back to that person I no longer am, and simply set the thoughts aside.
18. Love. People, critters, nature, ideas. Hate cannot exist in the presence of love.
19. Innovate. Flex my creative muscles to create new ideas. There are tons just waiting to be discovered. And they are free.
20. Eat right. Much of disease is fueled by the crap we eat. Eliminate processed foods. Focus instead on a diet rich in raw whole foods.
21. Adapt. Embrace change and move with the times. ie. Social Media
22. Protect the helpless. Stand up for those who can’t defend themselves. Speak for the voiceless.
23. Stay the course. Don’t wander in directions I don’t want to travel.
24. Re-frame “No.” They happen all the time. Play the odds knowing it is a mathematical certainty that “Yes” will come eventually. It always does.
25. Acknowledge others. So many do such great work, yet get little or no recognition. Praise all people regardless of the size of the act.
26. Share. My ideas, my gratitude, my belongings, my earnings, my love, my soul.
27. Be active. Movement deters aging. The more rigorous the better.
28. Ignore detractors. No matter how noble the cause, there will always be detractors. Jesus had them. Gandhi had them. Martin Luther King had them. I will have them too.
29. Quit ruthlessly. Quit all things that aren’t moving me in the direction I want to go. Think addition by subtraction.
It’s important to note that this is a living organic document that will evolve over time. Some things with be reworded, other ideas added, and some will be removed.
Idea…
Why not set some time aside this week and come up with your own manifesto that best captures how you want to lead your life. It just might lead you on the path to extraordinary living.
To ideas worth quitting,
Dean
