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What Is a Personal Manifesto?

A personal manifesto can encompass a single idea that you feel passionately about or can address a multitude of subject areas, concepts or ideas worthy of further consideration. Tailor your manifesto to focus on one aspect of your life such as all the traditions, ideas or beliefs that feed your spiritual strongholds or practices. Or create various general headings that enable broader exploration -- such as family, self-awareness or personal relationships -- then devote equal time and energy to all issues.

  1. Brainstorming Ideas

    • A personal manifesto requires that its creator brainstorm numerous ideas, concepts and angles pertinent to everyday living. Give attention to both short-term and long-term possibilities to ensure that your statement covers a wide range of issues. Hand-write sentiments and beliefs into a journal or paper notebook or verbally convey your ideas by utilizing a voice-controlled writing software program such as Dragon, which types as you speak. Family dynamics, traditions and thought systems, spiritual beliefs and practices, personal growth categories and educational or career goals all offer ample brainstorming opportunities.

    Exploring My Beliefs

    • Once you've decided what subject matter you want to focus on for your manifesto, set aside time to explore those beliefs in significant depth. Use a journal or tape recorder to complete this exploration and take notes to ensure future deeper analysis. Organize your thoughts by creating categories with headings such as "parental influence," "community operating systems" or "natural personality traits." Next, add sub-headings in these larger idea sections and make another pass regarding analysis. One handy trick to use when you aren't sure where to begin the analysis phase is to read news headlines or articles about subjects that make you feel passionate. Read stories or editorials that offer opinions opposite the ones you innately agree with and explore where your private beliefs stem from to better understand who you are and why you think the way you do.

    Expressing My Discoveries

    • Once you've brainstormed various ideas and analyzed why you feel how you feel about what you've come up with, expressing your discoveries in a coherent way is the next step. This is considered the crux of an effective personal manifesto. You need to put considerable effort and thought into how you express your ideas, beliefs and private feelings. Engage readers with your writing by citing a general belief and then backing that up with a personal example to prove your point. If you are open about who you are and why you believe what you do, people will be more inclined to relax while reading your statement and will want to connect with you.

    Making Everything Matter

    • Focus, passion and a desire to deeper understand oneself drives numerous significant aspects related to conveying your personal statement. Draw people closer to your position on issues and inspire them to want to consider points of view, subject matter or concepts they previously considered personally unimportant. State your beliefs and ideas using intimate examples specific to you and your experiences and let the reader know how your life was affected by these circumstances. By weaving together ideas that pertain to the majority with your individual beliefs on those matters, you enable people to recognize the commonality all human beings share.

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