The Motivation Manifesto

by Brendon Burchard

“The Motivation Manifesto is a poetic and powerful call to reclaim our lives and find our own personal freedom. It’s a triumphant work that transcends the title, lifting the reader from mere motivation into a soaringly purposeful and meaningful life. I love this book.” — Paulo Coelho

The Motivation Manifesto is a pulsing, articulate, ferocious call to claim our personal power. World-renowned high performance trainer Brendon Burchard reveals that the main motive of humankind is the pursuit of greater Personal Freedom. We desire the grand liberties of choice—time freedom, emotional freedom, social freedom, financial freedom, spiritual freedom. Only two enemies stand in our way: an external enemy, defined as the social oppression of who we are by the mediocre masses, and an internal enemy, a sort of self-oppression caused by our own doubt and fear.

The march to Personal Freedom, Burchard argues, can be won only by declaring our intent and independence, stepping into our personal power, and battling through self-doubt and the distractions of the day until full victory is won. Recalling the revolutionist voices of the past that chose freedom over tyranny, Burchard—at times poetic yet always fierce—motivates us to free ourselves from fear and take back our lives once and for all.

Genres: Self Help, Personal Development, Nonfiction, Psychology, Business, Productivity, Leadership

236 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

BRENDON BURCHARD is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, THE CHARGE, and the #1 New York Times bestseller THE MILLIONAIRE MESSENGER. He is also founder of High Performance Academy, the legendary personal development program for achievers, and Experts Academy, the world's most comprehensive marketing training program for aspiring authors, speakers, coaches, and online thought leaders. For these works, Brendon is recognized as one of the top trainers in the world on the topics of both motivation and marketing.

Brendon's books, videos, newsletters, products, and appearances now inspire two million people a month worldwide.

Brendon was blessed to receive life's golden ticket -- a second chance -- after surviving a car accident in a developing country. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals, teams, and organizations find their charge, share their voice, and make a greater difference in the world.

Brendon is regularly seen on public television, and he has been in media appearances on Anderson Cooper, ABC World News, Wall Street Journal TV, NPR stations, Oprah and Friends, and other popular outlets like SUCCESS magazine, Inc.com, Forbes.com, FastCompany.com, and the Huffington Post.

As one of the most in-demand trainers of our time, Brendon has shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, Sir Richard Branson, Tony Hsieh, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Stephen Covey, Deepak Chopra, David Bach, John Gray, Jack Canfield, Tim Ferriss, and more. His clients include entrepreneurs and executives from 59 countries, and his advice and training has been in use at, or sought by, Accenture, Alcoa, Amazon.com, The United States Naval Academy, and 34 or the top 50 universities in the world.

Brendon's recent online marketing campaigns have set records in publishing, online product launches, and live video broadcast revenue, and he has become the go-to marketing advisor for many of the most successful companies and celebrities in the world. Anderson Cooper calls Brendon "one of the top marketing and business trainers in the world."

Brendon blogs on his FB page at http://www.facebook.com/brendonburcha...

Reviews

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read lots of self-help books and had hit my limit, so I had no desire to read this when I first heard about it. Honestly, it was only that I liked Brendon's energy in his videos combined with the particular offer (the book plus a 12 week video course for $7) that made me pull the trigger. And I loved it -- both the book and the video series.

Critical reviews seem to focus on a lack of practical advice in the book. First, there is some solid advice, particularly some very pointed questions Brendon asks of the reader. If you're not willing to put the book down and write out answers to those questions, then yes, you'll get very little out of the book. Second, practical advice is NOT the main goal of the book. For once, this IS a book you can judge by its cover: The Motivation Manifesto.

It's a "motivation manifesto" in that it's written in a very particular style designed to motivate the reader -- it uses rhetoric and poetic language to inspire and excite. And I for one found myself putting the book down quite often because I was so inspired to take action on some creative idea or inner calling.

While there are whole chapters that feel like they're reaching, unnecessary, or over-written, I will concede that it might just be that those particular sections are not that relevant to me and my life right now; perhaps there are other readers who find them indispensable. Because the sections that ARE relevant to me feel deeply profound. I've created a document of 30+ questions from this book that I've answered and intend to revisit at least quarterly to help keep me on track with the life and business I want for myself and my clients.

In summary: Despite its weak spots, this book has motivated me to take a deep and honest inventory of who I am and what choices I need to make to create a better life for myself and all those I love and serve.

[Ryan Murdock · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very painful to read, and I found little of practical value in it. Just a lot of "motivational" talk, vague buzz words, fluffy back patting, and long rambling pages of emotional language that seemed meant to disguise the lack of content.

I also dislike the new age "we" language: "we need to claim OUR personal power", "we need to defeat OUR demons", etc. That's very much like saying, "we need to scratch OUR nose". I didn't realize it was owned collectively.

I got this book as part of a marketing pre-release promo where you just pay the shipping. I get that it's a strategy to put the book on amazon bestseller lists. But it certainly doesn't belong there - unless you're looking for an example of one long 230 page sales letter.

I ended up skimming this hoping for something useful, but what I found was simplistic, banal, cliched and preachy.

[Ben Willmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very inspiring book. One of the best personal development books I can remember reading.

My main criticism is that it could use some guided process to help elicit your goals and the qualities you want to live by instead of just telling you to write them down. I'd also like more real world day-to-day examples of how to put these ideas to use... things that take the conceptual 10,000' view and bring them down to ground level.

I will re-read the portions of this book that I've highlighted every day until they become apart of my daily process. That's not something that feel is needed with most other books, but this one is important enough and has an amazing amount of potential to transform my life and therefor needs to not be put on a shelf to get dusty. I should instead wear out its pages and infuse these ideas into my mind until I no longer have to actively think about them on a conscious level.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's as if someone free associated a self-help book into existence after skimming Paradise Lost.

Which I would be completely into if it had philosophical coherence. After all, it took a lot of motivation to arise off of the burning lake and fly through the entire multiverse to fuck around with Adam and Eve.

High points of the book were:

1. Complaining about elitism while also complaining about the unwashed masses.
2. Complaining about conformity while using vague buzzwords like "Now" and "Love."
3. Constructing a meme complex that makes the book "impossible" to refute without looking like a "weakling."
4. The line "we are humans, not Angels, but we should aspire to a higher plane of existence."
5. Privileging power and oppression while also decrying power and oppression and the implicit assumption/flattering that whoever reads this book is a good person and certainly not one of the masses, but rather a "temporarily embarrassed millionaires."

I think the ultimate part of the book is just the constant insistence to act instead of gathering information, which is well demonstrated by its existence. Then again, I was motivated to write this review (another impossible meme refutation).

[Annie Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever feel like you need someone to sit you down and give you a pep talk to supercharge your life into action? Reading The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard is kind of like that. Squared. Cubed, even.

"We must ask if our desires to feel safe and accepted are in fact enslaving us to popular opinion—and to boredom."

If you ever felt like you were destined for a greater existence but felt conflicted or overwhelmed about taking the necessary actions, this book is so for you. You might want to stop reading here and go get a copy to see for yourself. It is that good.

The Motivation Manifesto is written in the kind of language you might find in The Declaration of Independence. That's because the author studied these types of early documents as research for writing this book. He wanted this book to be a true manifesto, written in the language that was used by our great predecessors to move people into action.

This book is a call to a life of disciplined pursuit of self-mastery; a call to immediate action to prepare to pursue our dreams.

Personal Freedom

"It is the main motivation of humankind to be free, to express our true selves and pursue our dreams without restriction—to experience what may be called Personal Freedom."

The first section of the book discusses freedom, fear, and motivation.

Personal freedom does not come without responsibility. Having the privilege to do what we want, when we want, and how we want comes with diligence and sacrifice. Burchard calls us to take the initiative in our lives to pursue our dreams, not to merely wait for something to happen to us and leave our future to chance. We must hold our vision ahead of our immediate impulses.

Conformity is the antithesis of personal freedom. Burchard reassures us that following our dreams does not alienate us from those we once aimed to please through conformity; it enhances our abilities to connect and positions us as needed leaders to others who would like to do the same.

If we aren't living in personal freedom, it is because we are acting out of fear.

Motivation

"We have patiently suffered long enough, hoping that someone or some kind of luck would one day grant us more opportunity and happiness."

Motivation is the name of the book, and it truly lives up to its name. If you ever had an idea in mind of what a manifesto on motivation would read like, this is it. Motivation Manifesto addresses every thought I have ever had on motivation and what it takes to truly motivate oneself into action, and goes way beyond.

This book provides an answer to dealing with every imaginable stumbling block put up by others and ourselves on the path to our dreams. No excuse stands a chance in the face of this declaration of what it takes to truly live on purpose.

The Nine Declarations

The second section of the book calls us to action further with nine declarations of personal power. One of my favorites is Reclaim Your Agenda.

"The white space of a free day seems unfathomable because we have become hypnotized by a false but compelling need to respond to all the needs of others."

If you ever had difficulty saying no to a task that was not meaningful to your soul, or struggled with sacrificing your own desires and dreams in the name of catering to the expectations of others, this section is for you. It is time to turn our daily activities into those that send us directly towards our own dreams, rather than living unexamined lives of conformity.

Burchard provides us with more than enough ammunition to say no, unapologetically. Saying no allows us room to expand our passions and dreams in the spaces that were once filled with meaningless tasks.

We are called to Defeat Our Demons, notably the demons named Doubt and Delay. These are the demons that infiltrate our daily experience and bring death to our ideas and dreams that could not only set us personally free, but also help others on their journeys.

We are called to Advance with Abandon; to go beyond our comfort zones that keep us stationed in dis-ease, and to be willing to exchange our immediate desires for those of a future filled with great personal freedom.

Joy, gratitude, integrity, love, and time shall be harnessed as our allies, banishing our demons and fears from their current perches in our daily lives.

Kickoff a New Year with Motivation Manifesto

At times the language may seem harsh to some, but I found it necessary and true in its harshness. Inherent in change is the acceptance that things aren't working as they are, and that's okay.

Packed with aha moments and written in stunning prose, The Motivation Manifesto is an excellent handbook on motivation - the best one I have ever seen in all the self-help reading I have done over the years.

This book is an absolute must read, particularly for those who have dreams and aspire to something greater than their current situation. If you have already read The Motivation Manifesto or plan to read this book, please share your thoughts below!

I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

http://awakenandbegin.com/The Motivation ManifestoBrendon Burchard

[Nina Harrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brendan Burchard has had enormous success as a self-made business coach and speaker and is clearly well tuned to the needs of an audience who will pay 1000s of dollars to attend his presentations.
I have read his work for many years and followed some of his courses.
And therein lies the problem with this book. He expects his readers to just sit back and be fed what they already have heard a hundred times before and pay for the privilege.
Not all of us find endless lectures and sermons from a pontification position useful.
In fact most of us find them of little value and actually very tedious.
I dislike being preached at and this is precisely what Brendon specialises in.

He is a marketing man and knows how to use the emotional trigger words ad naseum. But it is too easy to go on, and on, and on about banal detail and not deliver practical suggestions.
The Manifesto is not a manifesto. It is a summary of problem areas about life.
it does not ask questions but expands on very general points which add little value on what it basically common sense. The structure feels like an artificial construct to fill pages which had me skipping forward to try and find something useful.
There is nothing new here and the content could easily have been condensed into 60 useful pages without loosing anything.
And please, publishers, change the font. I read this book on a MacBook and the font is so horrible it put me off reading even before I started.

Overall I was very much looking forward to reading something of value here and was very disappointed.

Disclaimer. I obtained this copy through Netagalley.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a reason I started reading this 2 years ago, & never got farther than 7%.

And it's not because I lack motivation.

[Lucas Berghuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, let me say this: Brendon Burchard should be listened to, not read. Brendon has the uncanny ability to raise your energy levels and motivation in every single talk he gives. As he states in the book, it is one of his main goals in any interaction. It is what he does best and it is what has made him successful. However, writing is not his strongest suit. I want to emphasize I am still a fan of Brendon Burchard, just not as an author.

That being said, many people still love the Motivation Manifesto because it got them motivated to finally do the things they put off for so long. Although I encourage anything that gets people off the couch and pursuing their dreams, I feel conflicted about this book due to multiple reason.
One of these is that the book pretends to be more than it actually is. Brendon tells us how our lives should look like and which habits and characteristics are desirable. By the way, most of what he says are simple no-brainers, really. However, this is all unstructured and very superficial. He rarely digs deeper than his own opinions, leaving the reader without any valuable information.

Also, whereas Brendon’s conviction helps make him convincing in his talks, on paper it makes for a seemingly never ending sermon. Not only is his writing dramatic and theatrical, it is also incredibly judgmental. He has the tendency to paint everything black and white and he implies to understand the deepest workings of the minds of historical figures. Once again, in such a superficial way you just cannot take it seriously.

On top of this, Brendon seems to have this, almost obsessive, compulsion to act like a wiseman whose every sentence is a profound one-liner. Quoting himself every page with the greatest possible authority.

Finally, I very much dislike it when people start throwing around random words without meaning. Brendon, for examples, likes to use ‘physiology’ and ‘psychology’ in the vaguest imaginable ways. This is just personal taste, though.

Nevertheless, I have to admit the book did get me a little motivated and despite everything I just wrote I have this weird impulse to read it again. So I get how people can like this book. Hence, the 3 stars. It’s a love/hate case.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, this was just a standard motivation self-help book. I didn't really see anything new in it, except random bits of scholastic language that made me question who the book was written for. Also, I would really appreciate it if self-help books that came with the moral of "Act now!" would preclude it with a "After you've done a preliminary amount of research".

[Majeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all the worlds children. An understanding of these concepts at a young age may help us have a better world going forward.

[Natacha Pavlov · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Greatness belongs to those who have mastered their internal world."

"No clarity, no change; no goals, no growth."

One of the most challenging things about this book was trying not to highlight practically every other line (lol!) I first came across Brendon Burchard's work a few years ago via a video presentation. I instantly appreciated his contagious enthusiasm and energy, as well as his down-to-earth, honest vibe.

'The Motivation Manifesto' was my second read by the motivational author, the first being 'Life's Golden Ticket'. While the first was an allegorical story about the choices we make, this was an inspirational ode and guide to taking action towards your life's goals.

Just as telling is Brendon's generosity and commitment to making his work accessible to readers, which comes through via offers that make his books available free of charge—which is how I got the first two books, and paid only for shipping.
Regardless, for anyone curious about motivational work by a seasoned professional, Brendon's is well worth checking out.

After two enjoyable reads and other instances of uplifting goodness, I'm happy to have pre-ordered my copy of his new upcoming book "High Performing Habits" (publication date: Sept 19, 2017)—looking forward to it!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

This book is so cleverly written yet so easy to understand and truly makes an impact on you. I recommend this for everyone. So inspirational.

[Heidi The Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brendan Burchard writes like a modern Neville Goddard or Florence Scovel Shinn. He reaches for ultimate truths and gets pretty close most of the time. When he's close to the truth: the writing makes sense and touched a deep place in my mind and heart, but at other times, I felt like I was reading a bunch of high minded nonsense that would never be applicable in my car-needs-gas, child-needs-food, cats-need-attention, husband-is-on-Minecraft-again, messy and hopelessly disorganized real life. What I'm saying is that the Motivation Manifesto is great in theory, but if I were to truly attempt to apply every last word of this tome, I'd lose it.

Perhaps we should cherry-pick the wisdom then. The high points for me were the first of the 9 declarations 'We Shall Meet Life with Full Presence and Power' and the last 'We Shall Slow Time'. In 'We Shall Meet Life with Full Presence and Power', I felt like Brendon was channeling Eckhart Tolle. Take this gem: "With enlightenment comes the realization that the natural foe to life is not a distant death, but a detachment from living." (pg 75) or "The sunshine of enlightenment spreads to those who understand that the moments of our lives must not go unnoticed and unlived." (pg 95). I liked those sentiments and I agreed with what he was reaching for. I don't know that any of us can be awake to reality all the time, but it's a fine goal to keep in mind.

As for 'We Shall Slow Time', at first I liked that contribution the least out of any of the declarations because it seemed rather cheesy and cliche, but as I let it simmer in my mind, it stood out as the most realistic and real life applicable of the bunch. Consider: "We can breathe deeply today and notice that there is no scent of yesterday. In this moment, there is nothing but newness, a white space, nothing but an open field of possibility ready to be felt and explored. Let us meet it with an intention and skill in exploring it lovingly, slowly." (pg 224) Spot on. And written beautifully, yes? Also, I found this little bit compelling: "Let us forget for now where we are supposed to be and what we should be doing. Instead, let us hold this moment for just two beats longer." (pg 229) And then the author goes on to list suggestions of things that we should pay attention to for two more heartbeats than we would have before reading The Motivation Manifesto.

Those were the high points for me. The low points were that I often felt disconnected from the text because of its constant reiteration that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket and its up to us (the reader) to turn it all around (no pressure) and the fact that Brendon didn't really give us any feel for his life or where he was coming from. It could feel rather cold and preachy, like the Old Testament in the good old B-I-B-L-E (no offense meant if that is your favorite part, but you know what I mean). I'm sure that many people know Brendon's back story from his Facebook page, blog, etc. Since this was my first foray into his writing, I didn't have that cultural touch base and felt "talked down to" rather than "in a conversation" with the author.

If you enjoyed The Motivation Manifesto, you could read The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn or Awakened Imagination by Neville Goddard. Both of those authors can be flowery with their prose, heavy on the theory, and light on the personal anecdotes but, if read in the right frame of mind or at the right time in your life, they can be transformative and mind-blowing just like The Motivation Manifesto.

[Alaeddin Hallak · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the book: The Motivation Manifesto explains the fundamental driving forces of human nature and how these either help us realize or keep us from our life’s goals. In a few easy steps, you’ll learn how to inspire and increase your own levels of motivation to live a happier life.

About the author: Brendon Burchard is a world-famous personal development trainer, bestselling author and founder of personal development program, High Performance Academy. American television host Larry King has called Burchard “one of the top motivation and marketing trainers in the world.”

My highlights:
A yearning for freedom and the burden of fear are humankind’s most fundamental driving forces.
Without personal freedom, we can’t realize our potential as an individual or as a society. And when we stop demanding the freedom we need, life rapidly loses all its vigor and drive and we become slaves to the wants and expectations of others.
Many of us still feel oppressed, worrying about what other people think and afraid to pursue what we really want from life.
The only way to attain personal freedom is to overcome fear.
Motivation needs fuel to burn hot. It is in your power to keep that fire burning!
We can all pump up our motivation by first reflecting on our true ambitions.
Ambition is simply the choice to seek out something greater in life, through more experience or higher achievement. Without ambition, your life is nothing but a ship, drifting aimlessly over a vast sea. But with ambition, you can set goals that you really want to reach.
Motivation needs fuel, and that fuel is continuous effort.
Stop looking over your shoulder at what was. Concentrate on what is now, and practice happiness.
Too many of us are obsessed with the past. Some people are always looking backwards, to what they believe was a happier time, thinking, “If only life could be like that again, I’d be happier.”Others see the past as the cause of all of today’s problems, and spend hours thinking, “If only that hadn’t happened, I’d be happier.”With such a perspective, the present moment is tainted by the sadness of what could have been. Obsessing about the past closes us off from the world and drains our motivation.So how can you break this vicious cycle of sadness and regret?Ask yourself, “What in my life could I focus on right now to feel enthusiastic and appreciative?”

Final summary
To remember the key lessons from these blinks, just keep in mind the six F's of motivation: Forget the past, Fuel the fire of your motivation, have Faith in yourself and strive for Fantastic things, never forgetting that Freedom and Fear are your primal motivators.

[Viktorija Cekanauskienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knyga įkvepianti būti didžiu žmogumi. Mokanti gyventi taip, kaip iš tiesų nori, visaip kaip tik nori, tik ne vidutiniškai. Priverčia susimąstyti, ką nori po savęs palikti gyvenime, kas iš tiesų tau svarbu, na matosi, kad parašyta tobulėjimo trenerio.
Labai rekomenduoju, iki 5* man netraukė, nes buvo kiek per poetiška, bet manau daugeliui tai tik privalumas.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people think of self motivational books, they often say "once you read one, you read them all." In a sense that is the truth, however this book has a wonderful play on words that makes you think out of the box with your self discovery situations.

What was enjoyed from this book is the author's poetic writing. The mood and tone of the book is courageous and are parts that draw you in like you are fighting a gallant battle of self discovery and change. If you want to read a motivational book that is more than just a book giving you bland tips on how to improve your life, pick up this one. You will be wonderfully entranced by the author's unique craft of writing, and may just inspire you to lead your life in a unique manner as he wrote his prose.

[Duncan Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Motivation Manifesto does more than motivate!

The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard, motivates through encouragement to reclaim our agenda and the prose is largely easy to follow -- though occasionally and surprisingly for a self-help book -- high-brow. However Burchard's Manifesto is far more than the typical work on the subject. It is also a spiritual and self strengthening work that subtly draws upon both American national and culturally western canon to get through to the reader. Very well done and refreshingly non-newagey!

[David Geschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read all year, one of the best books I've EVER read. I'm sure I'll read this book and refer back to it many more times. It's the first book by Brendon Burchard I could get through. I've tried reading some of his prior works without success, but this book might give me the impetus to go revisit some of his previous writings. Extremely well written & thought provoking. If you like the "self help" genre, this is a must read :)

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh.

This book reads like a sales letter written by Ayn Rand and I have the feeling the author might take that as a compliment.

He draws on social justice icons, but then characterizes whole groups of people as "weaklings." The sections on fear/oppression are about as nuanced as the motivational speaker from Donnie Darko.

Written like his boyhood dream is becoming John Galt, it rang false. Not for me.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not for everyone. It is slow and takes time to get through. I think owning a copy that you can highlight/take notes/meditate on would be the most beneficial.

[Niége · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely dislike self-help books, and this one didn’t seem much like one so I thought I’d give it a try.
The book had some interesting ideas on how to keep yourself motivated and enjoy situations and people close to you better.
On every chapter it gets to an interesting point and then it starts unraveling on repetition of the same speech it was just delivered.
The author keeps rambling on about God, The Creator and a Higher Faith. He’s careful not to speak to an specific god or religion, so the book can reach more people. But, as an atheist, this didn’t work for me at all. In fact, I see the Faith bit (at the end of each chapter) working as a trigger for guilt on believers.
I admit that there are some good guidelines on being motivated and getting the best of your time. But this book just didn’t work for me.

[James Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are lacking motivation or just need a boost, this book will help you find that boost to succeed. Everyone in the corporate world should read this book. If you are an entrepreneur or a creative mind and you are stuck in a rut then use the techniques in this book to find your motivation and overcome fear and procrastination.

[Richard Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me personally what’s mentioned in this book is not new regarding Self motivation n self help, there’s other books that are more effective and applicable this is more for someone new to this, had trouble understanding the book it’s written like it’s a old book from decades ago like Shakespeare ( not bad) to me it’s new and has amazing wisdom and quotes, am familiar with the author he’s a highly professional wise practitioner teacher of self improvement to me I wouldn’t recommend to this book

[Mariana García]

No lo pude terminar.

Este libro tiene buenos consejos, pero no nací para leer este tipo de cosas. Creo que es algo que hojearé en mi tiempo libre.

No le puedo dar rating porque no creo que sea un mal libro, más bien es una lectura que no es para mi.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I read the book and watched the 16 series course. This is a keeper - I will use it to prepare speeches and review sections periodically. It covers 9 Declarations to live your life by - including keeping to your agenda, defeating your demons, not breaking integrity, and amplifying love in your life.

[Sandra Heinzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible version of this and got a lot out of it. I am now a Brendan Burchard fan, and am reading another of his books. I am sure I will read this one again, because I know I'll get even more/different out of it the next go round. It has been a life changer for me, in terms of motivation. Thanks to one of my online Beachbody groups for reading/recommending it!

[Tiffanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ A quick read. Some chapters I thought were amazing and really spoke to me, but others seemed to fall flat.

[Matthew Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Great wisdom for several areas of life. This is one I will reread and get more from each time.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Motivation Manifesto meets my Christian Faith on most, but not all, points.

Brendon does not directly reference his faith often, but you see it underlining most of this book. Listening to the audio version reminded me a lot of Napolean Hill's "Outwitting the Devil". Hill tells us the devil tries to get us to be apathetic and drift and be ineffective in building God's heavenly kingdom here on earth, to give up running race by degree and lack of purpose.

As I later read the print version, I was reminded often of scripture including Hosea 4:6 "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." There are some places where I know the message of grace and mercy is missing though. While Burchard encourages us to quickly cut people from the ranks of our inner circle who do not match our pace to march gallantly forward, I want to pause and say, we are required to exercise an enduring patience to walk alongside them and offer our assistance. There is also a VERY strong message of self-reliance.

Here are the 10 Declarations Presented:

1)Meet Life with full Presence and Power - If we garner His presence and power through prayer acknowledging the Holy Spirit who guides us then, YES!

2)Reclaim Your Agenda - My time is not my own - it is God's and yes, I need to number my days and be a good steward of the time I am given- Psalm 90:12, but I also need to leave room to be responsive to His call.

3) Defeat Your Demons - He even calls out Leviathan (the three-headed serpent of Defiance caused by doubt, delay, and division) which often keep us from accomplishing what God has called us to. Through invaluable prayer and self-reflection, God can show us where the door is open for attack. Where do we need to repent in order to close doors and shut the demons out?

4) Advance with Abandon - while yes, we need to leap forward in faith when called knowing if we are led the Lord is faithful and He will provide, there is a wisdom about knowing God's timing and seasons and being patient. You never want to get out in front of God. He does give great credence to not being conformed to this world and taking risks despite naysayers. Good ideas are not always God ideas, and God ideas are not always logical. Noah battled for an ark. David battled a giant with a slingshot. So many examples of God’s plans which the world would not have stamped as viable. We are in the days of the latter rains and nothing can stop us from creating what God ordains. I love that Burchard debunks the myth that wealth and success are inherently evil. People of vice will commit more wielding the power of success, but those of virtue will be generous on every occasion.

5)We Shall Practice Joy and Gratitude - Absolutely! The JOY of the Lord is my strength and I will lift my prayers with thanksgiving is Neh 8:10 meets 1 Tim 2:1.

6)We Shall not Break Integrity - Absolutely! Temptations to break integrity come when we are weak and in the flesh. Burchard reminds us that lack of self-care is a huge factor. We over promise and under serve when we are spread too thin. Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days of trial, when he was weak and hungry, BUT he was strong in Spirit. Taking time to be rich in our prayer life and keep the Sabbath to feel reconnected, rested and restored is so important to ward off being tempted to break our word through impatience or lack of presence and connection. He works through the stumbling blocks of feeling hurt, desperate, impatient, and I would add lacking faith, walking by sight.

7) We Shall Amplify Love - John 13:4 = "A new commandment I give you -Love One Another!" He reminds us love is never absent from us (just like God is never absent) it is just that our hearts are hardened or closed. He reminds us to be alert as we will have a tendency to fall short "Be alert and of sober mind. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. We don't own love, it just flows through us as we are a conduit for God's love.

8)We Shall Inspire Greatness - Importance of being strong leaders and role models. He urges leaders to be strong and hold the line on integrity - Matthew 18 applies as he says we need to call it out with those we have conflict to restore unity. We have an obligation to make sure we don't have a log in our own eye when it comes to our neighbor's speck and not judge as we will then be judged. So we need to run the race with integrity, so we are not disqualified.

9) We Shall Slow Time - Love this Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know" message even if it indirectly points to God through being present with those around us.

So, enjoy the text and be inspired to find God in it. It's not hard to be motivated by it, just make sure as a Christian, you point your success to Christ and give God full and ultimate control of your life, not luck, or magic or self-reliance all three of which Brandon points to.