The “I Believe” Manifesto

In life, I believe everyone should have values and morals they live by. Writing a personal  “I believe” manifesto is the first step to designing the life you want and the business you can be proud of.

Often we can get swept up in the trends of the day and get pulled away from our true beliefs and values. I see it happen all of the time. This leads to cookie cutter lives (everyone watch reality TV!) and cookie cutter businesses (let’s blog together now!).

As much as I love cookies (chocolate chip, please) I know that unless we own our special something-something in this world we are destined to become *blah*. Blah is no fun and doesn’t make money. Apple Computer isn’t blah. Lady Gaga isn’t blah and salted caramel dark chocolate is most definitely not blah.

And neither are you.
Let go of blah and own who you are with an “I believe” manifesto.

My life and business values are based on all that I believe.

Susan’s I Believe Manifesto

I believe we each have a gift and a talent to share with the world.

I believe all people are born inherently good and events happen that can screw us up – some more than others.

I believe in honesty.

I believe in respecting everyone you meet.

I believe in sharing and caring and being kind.

I believe children can teach adults a lot about compassion, passion and play.

I believe in standing up to mean and rude people.

I believe in science and measuring outcomes.

I believe we should listen to our intuition (and still measure outcomes).

I believe in second chances. Not third chances.

I believe in a spiritual world.

I believe you get what you work for and the spiritual world does not provide for you in material ways.

I believe in goal setting and action taking.

I believe that we can waste our days feeling busy, yet getting nothing done.

I believe that happiness is directly connected to living a life of meaning.

I believe taking care of only yourself is an empty existence.

I believe that making money by manipulating others is awful.

I believe that honest, meaningful business is possible, but not easy.

I believe that everything worth doing is not easy.

I believe easy is way overrated.

I believe we are here to make a difference and have to power to do so.

I believe we all need help and support sometimes.

I believe we can all offer help and support, too.

I believe in the power of positive thinking.

I believe negative thoughts are toxic.

I believe the glass is half full.

I believe art and music and dance must be a part of a happy life.

I believe in pinky promises (thanks to Alex).

I believe in the healing power of chocolate.

I believe laughter is important medicine.

I believe that cynics who try to put others down are insecure, sad people.

I believe in saying nothing if I have nothing nice to say.

I believe in humility.

I believe in the power of relationships.

I believe everyone wants what is best for their children.

I believe that self-awareness and self-acceptance are the best gifts we can give to ourselves and those we love.

I believe in giving before getting.

I believe letting cars go in front of me at busy intersections gives me good karma.

I believe you are a wonderful person, even if you don’t do yoga, run marathons, eliminate sugar from your diet or have 10,000 Twitter followers.

I believe showing up ready to do the work is 90% of what is required to be successful in any endeavor.

I believe it is worth the extra money to buy healthy, organic food from my local farms.

I believe in splurging on experiences of value.

I believe that when I pay someone a premium price, I deserve a premium experience and/or product.

I believe in money back guarantees.

 

I believe that sometimes my anger is warranted.

I believe we all make mistakes.

I believe in apologizing when I am wrong.

I believe we are equal.

I believe you can teach me something and we can learn from each other.

I believe in personal responsibility to keep my body and mind healthy.

I believe in sharing my toys.

I believe in paying my fair share.

I believe I was born in to fortunate circumstances, and that made all the difference.

I believe I must teach my child he is blessed and priviledged and he has a responsibility to share, give and pass on his joy to those who need support.

I believe in simplicity.

I believe in facing reality.

I believe in honoring imagination and creativity.

I believe in you and your power to make the world a better place.

I believe we can make money, make a life and make a difference all at the same time.

Your turn. I’d love to read your “I Believe Manifesto”!

To get you started on your journey to building the business that supports your life dreams, I’ve put together a nifty new assessment called “The LifeStyle Business Profile.” The results will help you define a business plan that will allow you to make great money while living a life you love. Click here to access the quiz. No opt-in required.