In High School I wrote a piece for a creative writing class called ‘I Am Me’. In it I outlined values I had and things that I believed about myself. It’s fun to re-read this document every now and then and see how much I have and haven’t changed (‘I will not wear khakis’).

When I started University, I found myself one day particularly confused about where i was going, and wrote a document called ‘Manifest of Me’, which like the ‘I Am Me’,  highlighted what I found important at that time. I haven’t read over this one in a while, its a single pen writen page liviMng in a box in the attic. I hope to one day dig it out and scan it so it can live digitally next to the the ‘I Am Me’ document.

I’ve been wanting to find time and write a Manifest of Me for my thirties. As I approach 33, I started to think that the document was simply going to read ‘I am busy. Make time.’ .

This past week I sat in a course, and they gave me the wonderful gift of time to write what they called ‘a personal creedo’. With the limited time I had I cranked out a new list of what matters to me. It’s a bit long, its a bit cliche, and due to the course topic, its a bit more work centric than I’d like. Despite all of this it’s something that I think outlines a large part of who I am currently.

And that’s whats important.

Manifesto of Me: Thirty. 

• Work hard, stay humble
• Remember you give credit, and take blame for actions of the office, or the interpersonal conflicts within.
• The small stuff is where the big change happens.
• Write down all you want to do in the next four months. Now imagine you have only two weeks to do this list. What would you do? Focus on that.
• Control the flow of your inbox.
• Phone people, meet with them. This disarms them.
• Carve 30mins a day to be out of range of everything.
• When your cold, warm your chest. The extremities will take of themselves in response to this.
• Ignore the rageplaints. They only serve to make you look away from your goal.
• Be present. Be an example.
• Ask yourself: Out of the people I value, how do they like their coffee/tea? If you don’t know this. Find out so you can treat them and talk to them.
• Imagine you have 3 black balls for complaints. What would you use them on? Is this issue worth a black ball?
• You have hired leaders. They will lead, and manage projects. You will have a time to speak– don’t force it.
• Listen. Pause. Listen. Pause. Act.
• Sleep is overrated, a work-free home environment is not.
• Thank you cards are cheap. Given them freely.
• Changing 30% to 60% is more impressive than 30% to 75% or 85% to 95%.
• Respect yours and others time. Treat your calendar serious. Respect their need for your time.
• “Allow endings” -Jack Dorsey
• Who is your audience? It’s likely not you.
• Be willing to explain your decisions. This doesn’t mean you have to back down.
• Sometimes when your put your foot down, its on quicksand. This is not all the cases.
• Deadlines. What are yours, what are others, and why do they exist?
• Most sorting of problems can be sorted into three folders.