analog | ˈanlˌôg; -ˌäg |
1 a person or thing seen as comparable to another

Darwin | ˈdärwin |
1 Darwin, Charles (Robert) (1809–82), English natural historian and geologist; a proponent of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
2 Darwin Stephenson (1969– ?), American Spiritual teacher, author and humanitarian.


Many people have asked me about my darwinifesto and what it is. Instead of answering everyone individually I've decided to make it available online for all to read.

What is the darwinifesto?
For starters, let's talk about what the darwinifesto is not:
  1. Not the Unabomber - the first time most Americans heard of a manifesto was in relation to Theodore Kaczynski when it was discovered he had distributed his manifesto. Per Wikipedia: "In 1995, Kaczynski mailed several letters, some to his former victims, outlining his goals and demanding that his 35,000-word paper Industrial Society and Its Future (commonly called the "Unabomber Manifesto") be printed verbatim by a major newspaper or journal; he stated that he would then end his terrorism campaign." He was crazy. I'm not. At least not in the way he is crazy.
  2. Not for You - the darwinifesto is for me and helps me guide my life as well as the choices I make in my life. It isn't intended to tell you what to do with your life, nor are the points contained in it intended to be universally applicable to others.
So what is a manifesto?
manifesto | ˌmanəˈfestō |
a public declaration of policy and aims.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Italian, from manifestare, from Latin, ‘make public,’ from manifestus ‘obvious’

Tell me already, "What is the darwinifesto?"
The darwinifesto is a 50 Point Guide for Living. Contained in the darwinifesto are 50 simple and straightforward points that frame my life. These points contain my philosophies, beliefs and the guidelines by which I manage the choices I make in my life.

Whenever I have a tough decision to make I ask myself, "What would someone, who lived their life by the darwinifesto, do in this situation?"

By looking over the 50 points of my darwinifesto the answer becomes crystal clear. By removing myself from the question and projecting the decision onto "someone who lives their life by these points," I'm able to objectively decide my choice without violating my principles.

Should I follow my life according to the darwinifesto?
No, you should not. The purpose of having a manifesto for living is for it to reflect your beliefs and values. The very process of creating a manifesto for living requires that you examine what is important to you and commit those points to paper.

You can surely borrow points from the darwinifesto if you like them. Furthermore you might sample several manifestos for living to pick and choose points that speak to you.

What points are in the darwinifesto?
You read the darwinifesto in PDF format and here are some excerpts:

See the good in people. 6
Welcome every experience for in it you’ll find pearls of wisdom. 20
Learn from those that couldn’t possibly teach you anything. 27
Pray like a preacher. 29
Workout like an olympian. 30
Nurture that which would suffer without you. 38
Share your fortune with the misfortunate. 45

How do I create my own darwinifesto?

For starters, you'll name it based on your first name such as danifesto or ritafesto. It is a manifesto for your life and should be named accordingly.

Start by jotting down what is important in your life and then collapse those items into larger groups. For example, my groups are fundamentals, guidance, life, career, passion, balance, play and humanity.

There is no magic number of groups but each group should contain no less than five points. So don't make them too specific. Instead, collapse them with another group and think of a name the embodies both of them.

And then start writing. Under each group start writing down points or rules that describe your thoughts, beliefs and values. Write each one using the following guidelines:
  1. Make it Positive - phrases that contain negative words like don't, shouldn't or not should be rewritten as positive statements. Your manifesto points should tell you what to do rather than what not to do.
  2. Focus on Do Statements - use action verbs like practice, know, learn and be to make your points action oriented.
  3. Keep It Personal - you can share your manifesto with others or keep it to yourself. Try and keep it real and personal so that your manifesto reflects what is important to you. If you're not ready to share it with others then keep it private but make it personal.
  4. Keep It Current - your manifesto should grow and change as your life grows and changes. Therefore write down what comes naturally without any concern for getting it perfect or getting the right number of points.
How Many Points Should be in a Manifesto for Living?
I honestly can only say that mine came out to 50. No more, no less. I didn't have to try and get to fifty and when I hit fifty I knew I was done. Is there something magical about having fifty points? Who knows.

Your manifesto for living should be long enough that it contains enough points to cover most things that come up in your life and short enough where you can use it easily. I would imagine 500 points would be too cumbersome and fewer than 50 wouldn't cover all of the bases. Listen to your heart and you'll come up with just the right number of points.

Can I share my Manifesto for Living with You?
Absolutely. You can contact me via my Google Profile page. If you want me to publish it here please make sure to include a statement giving me permission.