Step Four: What kind of a man?

Maniphesto is founded on the idea that the ideal man is not a fixed state which is within our reach, but it is an emergent process which is continually evolving at a personal as well as societal level. This simply means that the work on becoming a better man never stops! The moment that we think, “now I have made it,” or “now I’ve got it figured out and can tell the others what to do,” is the moment we are most likely to be already falling flat on our nose, even if we only realise it years later (I am speaking from experience of course).

So the question you need to answer here is:

Given what is most meaningful and fulfilling in your life, as you have written above, what are the qualities, aspects of yourself and virtues that you are going to need to develop?

Or simply:

What kind of a man will you need to be to achieve your vision?

Write your answer in the present tense, to get a real touch of what putting on those qualities feels like. It is OK if doing this feels slightly uncomfortable. There is a good chance you will get into contact with issues from your past during this step – and need to work through not being reactive to these.

The first time I answered this question, I wrote: I have developed discipline, endurance and focus to create structure and stability in my own life and for those around me. I have built courage, clarity and discernment to stand up for and implement what I believe in. I embody compassion and empathy to connect to all the people who are so different in their view than me. And I hold wisdom, patience and trust to lead others and scale out the work I want to do.

What kind of man will you need to be as you start stepping into your vision for yourself?

This is the “How” part of your vision – what you need to become to ensure success.