Reviewed by Femflection

Brendon Burchard is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books include The Charge, The Millionaire Messenger, and Life’s Golden Ticket.

Some “The Motivation Manifesto” quotes:

• “Freedom requires responsibility to choose who we are above and beyond our immediate impulses, needs, and social pressures, so that we can genuinely express the type of person we want to be, live the life we truly want to live, leave the legacy we desire.”
• “We must set intentions for who we are, for what roles we wish to serve, for how we’ll relate with the world. Without a vibrant awareness, we cannot connect with others or ourselves, nor can we meet the demands of the hour with grace. For this, we now declare: WE SHALL MEET LIFE WITH FULL PRESENCE AND POWER.” 
• “Personal power is directly tied to personal responsibility, which most people avoid.” 
• “Without making the actual attempt, without trial and strife, there can be no true knowledge, no progress, no high achievement, and no legend.” 
• “The woman afflicted by the need for adoration cannot have a free moment of real joy away from her obsession with self; she is slave to the never-ending quest for youth and beauty and social acceptance.” 
• “Most do not feel a stark, stirring life purpose—they don’t hunger for it in the morning or orient their day to its pursuit.” 
• “Declaring that we will master our fears is the first great leap toward freedom. Our vitality, growth, and destiny all demand that we can topple fear. As so much hangs in the balance, let us better understand what fear really is. Fear is the human motive of aversion. Fear doesn’t help us commit to higher aims. It doesn’t help us imagine greatness. Its sole aim is immediate release from threat, strain, or pain. It often becomes a by-all-means-necessary approach to controlling any given situation so that the body—but most often the ego—can feel safe and unchallenged.” 
• “Giving respect means to do no harm; to allow others their rights in expressing themselves; and to honor the fact that their own thoughts, feelings, and actions are real and justifiable in their own minds, even if we see them as unimportant or wrong. Respect does not necessarily mean approval; one can respect another’s right to speak but not necessarily approve of what is spoken. Respect means that we see others as doing their best with what they have, who they are, and what hand they’ve been dealt, even if we find their efforts wanting in any way. It means seeing the divinity in others, and never inviting disrespect into our lives by projecting disrespect onto others.” 
• “Great men and women don’t give a damn if anyone approves. They rarely seek permission from the world because they know that the masses bound by mediocrity will never approve of anything that breaks convention or smacks of boldness and magic.”

“The Motivation Manifesto” – The book:

The key message in this book:

Fear drives much of human behavior, but so does a desire for freedom. By learning to conquer the former and strengthen the latter, we can boost our motivation, achieve our goals and create not just a better life for ourselves, but a better world to live in.

The book talks about how we are meant to be free and how our fears hold us back from our freedom.

Burchard breaks the pursuit of personal freedom into several divisions: time, social, financial and spiritual freedom. Burchard also discusses the “enemies” that block us from our personal freedom, including social oppression and self-oppression.

The answer to our fears and weaknesses, according to Burchard, is to voice our dreams, to declare our desires, and to act on them.

He encourages us to step out of victim mode and into the true freedom of authentic self-expression.

According to Burchard, sustained motivation – the superpower that will make our dreams come true – begins with ambition and expectancy and is fed with attention and effort.

The nine declarations remind us of what is important in life and why they are important.

I won’t give away the nine declarations he covers in his book. One really resonated with me: “If you want to be happy, you need to reclaim your purpose.” It can be an uncomfortable thing to admit that we’ve chosen lives that don’t match up to our true calling, purpose, or desire. The simple solution is to start designing your existence based around the pursuits that make you feel alive — a concept Brendon calls “reclaiming your agenda.” No one else gets to determine that agenda. Only you are the author of that document.

The writing in this book is very different from Burchard’s previous bestsellers. The Motivation Manifesto is filled with vibrant prose. The pages burn with poetry and passion.

“Why, having been endowed with the courageous heart of a lion, do we live as mice?” asks Burchard, and he goes on to give a complete and devastating answer to his own question. He pulls no punches, describing our unhappiness as “…stemming from our blind desire to be judged worthy, acceptable, and lovable by people who hardly know our true hearts and powers.”

If you like the “self help” genre, this book is absolutely a worthwhile read!

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