Manifesto (not in order of importance)

By Laurie Lukasavage
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut

Waterbury, Connecticut

1. Accept that you’re not perfect. You never will be, so don’t fight it.
2. Acknowledge that you don’t live in a perfect world. You are here to try to make it better.
3. Become comfortable in your own skin. It doesn’t matter how thin, heavy, attractive or ordinary you are, the people who matter will remember you for your personality.
4. Don’t dwell on what you cannot do, develop what you can do.
5. It’s ok to change your mind/opinion about something. That’s called “growth."
6. When you solve a problem ... spice it up! Use puppets to act it out.
7. Money may not mean that much to you, but it’s everything to some people and you will never change that.
8. Talk to someone you never liked or understood. Try to find out what makes them tick. They will be suspicious of you, but you’ll learn something.
9. Don’t take mean comments from people personally. Some people were born ornery.
10. Find humor in bad situations.
11. Remember when someone does something nice for you. Smile at them often.
12. Reward others with praise as if they are your own children.
13. Avoid snooty self-centered people, they’re not part of the human race.
14. Don’t let others measure your ability. You are infinite.
15. If you don’t like something, change it. If you do like something, build on it.
16. Let yourself feel good.
17. Let yourself feel bad.
18. Learn to recognize an opportunity. This will prevent them from sneaking past you unnoticed.
19. Make your own happiness.(Who knows what you really want, better than yourself?)
20. Forgive yourself and past hurts from others, and then give it to God to tuck it in his pocket.