• Health and Fitness

So this category isn’t about joining the gym, going for a run or eating rabbit food for every meal……unless you want to do all that of course. There’s so much more that goes into this than people generally think because you have to design it around you and your life not what some influencer has told you that you should be doing! Having said that, it is definitely a non-negotiable category (as they all are) because you really do only get one body so you need to treat it with some respect if you expect it to go the distance with you. If you have signed up for this program it’s because you truly want to take your life to the next level so this needs to be a part of that – there’s absolutely no point in creating an amazing life but not having the health and energy to enjoy it!

Some things to start thinking about for this category are what are your ideal goals, how much time you have, what sort of things do you enjoy doing, or what are you NOT willing to give up. And like every other category there is a tonne of research proving that it’s worth doing right. 

The advantages include enhanced cognitive function, increased energy levels, improved stress management, better physical health, enhanced sleep quality, and increased creativity – and which one of us could do with ALL of that? 

• Fun, Adventure and Timeout

For business owners and entrepreneurs, taking time to engage in enjoyable activities and unwind is especially crucial to maintaining balance and sustaining high levels of performance.

BUT – If you’ve been in business for a while, you may have found that this area of your life has dropped off – a lot – and it seems to happen without us noticing until it’s too late. The good thing about this category is that you can use it to cross over with some of the other categories meaning you can kill two, (or three), birds with one stone.

• Education and Learning

The premise of this category is that we want to be in a state of Constant And Neverending Improvement, or CANI as Tony Robbins puts it. Learning new things is what separates the successful from the not so successful people in the world. The constant stimulation of learning and growing fuels the success we have in life. Of course everyone is different when it comes to what they want to learn and how they learn best. For some it is reading, others it is listening to podcasts and of course there is formal education. What ever it is for you is how you approach this category and it is not restricted to just work or business – it can be learning about whatever you like. 

If you need extra reasons as to why you should never stop learning then check out the following:

Cognitive health:

• Learning new skills can help maintain and even improve cognitive function as we age.
• A study published in Psychological Science found that older adults who learned new skills like digital photography or quilting showed improvements in memory.

Brain plasticity:

• Lifelong learning promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new neural connections.
• Research in Nature Reviews Neuroscience shows that learning new things can help maintain brain plasticity throughout adulthood.

Mental well-being:

• Continuous learning is associated with improved mental well-being and life satisfaction.
• A study in the Journal of Aging Studies found that older adults who engaged in lifelong learning reported higher levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction.

Reduced risk of dementia:

• Several studies, including one published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that mentally stimulating activities may reduce the risk of dementia.

Career benefits:

• Continuous learning is linked to better job performance and career advancement.
• Research in the Journal of Vocational Behavior shows that employees who engage in continuous learning are more likely to experience career success.

Social connections:

• Learning new things often involves social interaction, which is beneficial for mental health.
• A study in the International Journal of Lifelong Education found that adult learners often experience improved social connections.

Adaptability:

• Continuous learning helps individuals adapt to technological and societal changes.
• Research in the European Journal of Education shows that lifelong learning enhances adaptability in rapidly changing environments.

• Emotional Life

The Emotional Life category, which includes emotional intelligence, is important for several reasons:

1. Well-being: Emotional health is crucial for overall well-being and life satisfaction.
2. Stress management: As the quote suggests, emotional intelligence helps in managing stress and navigating life’s challenges.
3. Relationship quality: Understanding and managing emotions improves interpersonal relationships.
4. Decision-making: Emotional intelligence enhances decision-making abilities by balancing logic and feelings.
5. Self-awareness: This category promotes self-understanding and personal growth.
6. Resilience: Developing emotional skills increases resilience in face of adversity.

By maintaining awareness of our emotional defaults and gaps, we can strive to be a better person in ALL areas of our life. For example are you the sort of person who is quick to anger or do you get down in the dumps easily? Do you want to work on feeling happier or not having such big emotional swings between positive and negatives.

Other things to be aware of in this category might be:

1. Emotional awareness: Recognizing and understanding your own emotions and those of others.
2. Emotion regulation: Learning techniques to manage and control emotional responses.
3. Mindfulness practices: Incorporating meditation, deep breathing, or other mindfulness techniques to enhance emotional balance.
4. Therapy or counselling: Seeking professional help to work through emotional challenges or past traumas.
5. Stress management techniques: Developing strategies to cope with stress effectively.
6. Empathy development: Working on understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
7. Positive psychology practices: Cultivating gratitude, optimism, and other positive emotional states.
8. Emotional vocabulary: Expanding your ability to articulate and express emotions accurately.
9. Conflict resolution skills: Learning how to navigate disagreements and conflicts in a healthy manner.
10. Self-care routines: Establishing practices that nurture your emotional health.
11. Journaling: Using writing as a tool for emotional processing and self-reflection.
12. Social-emotional learning: Developing skills like self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making.

• Embodiment

Who you are and how you present yourself to the world is crucial to getting the life you want. For example, if your character trait is laziness then you’re probably not going to get very far in life are you? Instead if you embody the trait of determination then you’re more likely to succeed which makes perfect sense right! 

Think about people who are living the sort of life you want to have – what do they embody, what traits do they have? Your character is everything because it is the framework through which you conduct yourself in all categories so it’s worth spending time planning it.

• Spiritual Life

It’s important to note that spirituality is a highly personal aspect of life, and what constitutes spiritual practice can vary greatly from person to person. The Life Manifesto takes a broad view of spirituality, so it depends on who you are, as to how you interpret this category. For some people it is about a God and religion and for others it is a universal connection. Things that might be included and resonate in this category are:

1. Meditation practices: Various forms of meditation to cultivate mindfulness and inner peace.
2. Religious practices: For those who follow a particular faith, this could include prayer, worship, or religious study.
3. Philosophical exploration: Studying different philosophical traditions to gain insight into life’s big questions.
4. Nature connection: Spending time in nature as a way to connect with something larger than oneself.
5. Mindfulness exercises: Practices that promote present-moment awareness in daily life.
6. Energy work: Practices like Reiki or Qigong that work with subtle energies.
7. Reading spiritual texts: Studying sacred or inspirational writings.
8. Contemplative arts: Engaging in activities like mandala creation or spiritual music.

Spiritual Life is a key category because of the importance of nurturing this aspect of life for overall well-being and fulfilment. It encourages individuals to explore and develop their spiritual side as part of creating a balanced, meaningful life. Of course we’re not here to force anyone to do anything so if you really don’t want to attend to this category at the moment then it’s completely up to you – after all it’s your life.

• Relationships

It should go without saying that relationships are a fundamental part of being human and profoundly affect our mental, emotional and physical, well-being. In The Life Manifesto we have split relationships into 4 different categories to ensure that the different relationships we have in our lives, each get the attention that they deserve. This is because not all relationships require the same from us so being able to differentiate between them all is important. The 4 categories we look at are Romantic Relationships, Kids, Family and Outside Connections, and in brief they mean:

• Romantic: as the name suggests this category deals with your romantic love partnership.
• Kids: this refers to both your biological and step, or bonus, children.
• Family: here we deal with your wider family, so brothers, sisters, mum, dad, uncles, aunts, cousins etc:
• Connections: this is your friend group from outside of your family and they come from work, groups you’re in, old school friends etc: although where they come from is really irrelevant as long as you consider them a friend.

We often get the question, well what if I don’t have kids or what if I’m single, do we skip those categories? 

Short answer is ‘It all depends’.

The reason for this is that even if you’re single you can still plan for what sort of relationship you would like and what sort of person you want to call into your life. And if you don’t have kids, well you might one day or you could get together with someone who does or do you have nieces or nephews or close friends where you see their kids a lot? In that case what sort of role model can you present to them? 

The bottom line is that these relationships, no matter what category they sit in, will have a profound effect on our lives and also on the lives of others. There are so many studies that have been done now in positive psychology that show relationships:

• Lower stress levels
• Increase happiness
• Protect against depression and anxiety
• Help us achieve higher levels of success
• Boost our immunity
• Increase our life satisfaction

Still need convincing on the importance of working on relationships? All you really have to do is Google it and you’ll find plenty of evidence such as the Harvard Study of Adult Development one of the longest-running studies on human development, that highlights the profound impact of relationships on health and happiness. The study found that strong relationships are the most consistent predictor of a long and happy life. Or the Framingham Heart Study, which has been ongoing for over 70 years, reveals that social connections play a critical role in cardiovascular health and overall well-being.Or even the fact that companies like Google and Zappos prioritise fostering strong workplace relationships through team-building activities and open communication policies, leading to higher employee satisfaction and productivity. Maybe even look up the study that showed people who are socially isolated have the same life expectancy as a smoker!! 

All of these reasons and more are why we need to put in the work when it comes to our relationships because the better they are, the better we are.

• Contribution

In The Life Manifesto, the Contribution category is a crucial component of creating a fulfilling and purposeful life. This category focuses on how you give back to the world, make a positive impact, and create value beyond your immediate personal and professional spheres.

Why is Contribution Important?

1. Sense of Purpose: Contributing to something larger than yourself provides a deep sense of meaning and purpose in life.
2. Personal Growth: Through contribution, you develop new skills, gain different perspectives, and grow as an individual.
3. Increased Happiness: Research shows that giving and contributing to others’ well-being significantly boosts our own happiness and life satisfaction.
4. Legacy Building: Contribution allows you to create a lasting impact that extends beyond your lifetime.
5. Improved Mental Health: Engaging in acts of contribution can reduce stress, combat depression, and increase overall well-being.
6. Strengthened Connections: Contributing often involves collaborating with others, which can strengthen your social bonds and network.

What Can Be Included in the Contribution Category?

1. Volunteer Work: Dedicating time to causes you care about, whether it’s at a local shelter, community center, or global organization.
2. Mentoring: Sharing your knowledge and experience to guide others in their personal or professional journey.
3. Philanthropic Giving: Donating money or resources to charitable causes or organizations that align with your values.
4. Creating Social Impact Through Business: Implementing socially responsible practices in your business or creating products/services that solve societal problems.
5. Environmental Stewardship: Engaging in activities that protect and preserve the environment, from local clean-ups to supporting conservation efforts.
6. Skill-Based Volunteering: Offering your professional skills pro bono to non-profit organizations or individuals in need.
7. Community Leadership: Taking on roles in community organizations, boards, or local government to drive positive change.
8. Teaching or Public Speaking: Sharing your knowledge through workshops, seminars, or speaking engagements to educate and inspire others.
9. Creative Contributions: Using your artistic or creative skills to beautify your community or raise awareness for important causes.
10. Family and Friends Support: Being there for loved ones in times of need, offering emotional support, or helping with practical tasks.
11. Digital Contributions: Creating online content, participating in forums, or developing open-source projects that benefit others.
12. Advocacy: Speaking up for causes you believe in and working to create systemic change.

In The Life Manifesto, we help you identify which forms of contribution resonate most with your values and integrate them into your life in a sustainable way. The goal is to find a balance where your contribution efforts enhance rather than detract from other areas of your life.

Remember, contribution doesn’t have to be grand gestures. Even small, consistent acts of kindness and giving can have a profound impact on both your life and the lives of others. By consciously including contribution in your life plan, you’re not just creating a better world – you’re creating a more fulfilling, purposeful life for yourself.

• Business and Work

For most of us we need to continue to work and earn money to live right? Unfortunately it can become an all consuming noose around our necks. It is kind of like the black hole of categories because everything else gets sucked into it making it hard to find a way out. This is why it is so important to analyse how we conduct ourselves in this area and it’s definitely a balancing act but if you really want the greatest life possible then you must do the work here – there is no avoiding it!

• Finance

We all need money to live so it cannot be left to chance. If you’re lucky, you’ll live a very long time and that needs to be paid for so planning in this area is a must and includes thinking about things like:

1. Financial security: Proper financial management provides a safety net and reduces stress.
2. Life quality: Financial resources can enhance quality of life and provide more opportunities.
3. Freedom and choices: Sound finances offer more flexibility in life decisions.
4. Future planning: It enables effective planning for major life events and retirement.
5. Goal achievement: Financial resources can help in achieving various life goals.
6. Peace of mind: Financial stability contributes to overall well-being and peace of mind.

But it’s not just these things you need to think about, that’s only one piece of the puzzle. To get this right you simply MUST address your beliefs about money and spending. You may have grown up hearing that money is the root of all evil or that money doesn’t grow on trees, or perhaps it was hearing that money is hard to come by. Whatever the belief is for you, it needs worked on because those pesky beliefs have a habit of holding us back even when we don’t think they do!