Life is about the people you meet and what you create with them! So start creating.
I like the entire Manifesto but this line holds the truth for this time in our collective consciousness. Connecting with others is food for our life force and soul and dancing and creating so that we have our joy is what it is about! Thanks!
- Lisa Faremouth Weber
It started as a Facebook Share, I really couldn’t stop thinking about how it (the Manifesto) and I had the same philosophy. Then I searched for the words outside of the Facebook photo, found the posters, then found the video. I tagged people I know and love on particular lines throughout the Manifesto and received amazing feedback. I read it again. I watched the video again…then posted the video…then watched the video again.
My life, my travels, my spirituality, my need to give and receive, my need for love, my inner “little Chrysty,” my drive and ambition, my zest for living all gravitated towards the words on paper. I wanted to share the philosophy so I bought 5 posters (one for me and 4 for my group of “girls” who came together when one of us got cancer 9 years ago)…we like to say we’re a circle of SIX (even though there are only 5 of us) because that 6th person is ANYONE and EVERYONE who needs the strength of a group of amazing women!
The Holstee Manifesto gives me hope and encouragement and reminds me to LIVE MY LIFE OUT LOUD!
The world would be a better place if we all lived and loved in the Holstee manner. I am grateful for EACH and every person who has crossed my path; and I will continue to find value in each and every one.
- Chrysty Beverley Fortner
True to the worst that is said of my generation, I’m usually more into snarky ironic stuff.
Actually, I only came across the Holstee Manifesto in the course of holiday shopping for my friend and then housemate, Kandyce (pictured here).
Kandyce loves mottos, quotes, and pretty much anything that could be classified as inspirational about as much as I eschew them, and I had promised that I would get her some “cheesy shit” for Christmas.
Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them.
The significance of the Holstee Manifesto is that it serves as a reminder of someone with whom I have shared three (and counting) years of mistakes, changes, opportunities, travel, dreams, and wonderful meals.
It is a thank-you to her for keeping me heartfelt, and a little love song to everything we’ve created.
- Katie Perry
Since I’ve bought myself a Manifesto I have realized it was a great way to reflect about some things that we forget about during our routine. I wanted to wish all those things to my friends. So this year, as holiday gifts, I’ll be sending Holstee Manifestos and cards to a lot of friends of mine around the world. It’s like I have found my way on wishing them a lot of success in their lives. Even when we are not together.
- Ana Metz Castan
I picked up the Holstee Manifesto for my girlfriend. It was something that she introduced me to and she had mentioned that she wanted it in her house some day. I figured, why not just jump that gun and get it for her and frame it for her birthday? I really love the quote because it is one of the most complete pump-up quotes I’ve ever read. The part that stands out to me the most is the part that says, “If you are looking for the love of your life, stop. They will be waiting for you when you start doing the things you love.” That is exactly how I met her. We met at a Nero concert in Boston last December. I just had to talk to her and somehow managed to summon the courage to go up to her. That turned out to be the best decision of my entire life. We went to a lot of concerts together after that before we started dating, and after getting to know her a lot more I realized how much we actually have in common. We both love running and run marathons and half marathons together, we both love music, we both love food and cooking. I seriously have found the love of my life and I am going to, seriously, going to marry her. It was the first and only time in my life where I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, yet I found the last girlfriend I will ever have. I couldn’t have gotten luckier and I still can’t believe it. So when I saw that quote on the Manifesto, it was the one that jumped out to me the most. Thanks for your email and thanks again for being part of one of the coolest grassroots companies I have ever come across. I can promise I will be buying plenty more of your products as time goes on so keep the good stuff coming!!!!!!
- Patrick Finn
“May 24th 2012, the day we have won the lottery…our lives!”
We were already 3 days in Iceland, a country always present on our wish list to visit. We choose to go in May, as it was still low season, so we could experience to beauty and sometime ‘harsh’ nature of this beautiful island. After visiting the main capital Reykjavik, National Park Þingvellir, and many kilometers over dirt roads in our 4WD, we arrived in Vik, the most southern place in Iceland.
May 24th. We stayed in a B&D and after a relaxed breakfast we drove to Dyrhólaey, a tourist hot spot known for its birdlife. We parked our car and I remember I said to my wife: “ That’s a pity, there are other tourists…”, something we were very grateful for later on. Although it was raining, we prepared ourselves for a walk to the lighthouse over a marked path above the cliffs . We stood still for a moment for the abyss, on top of the cliff overlooking the gulf and rough Atlantic Ocean. My wife said: “Look, the sun tries to shine through the rainy clouds, how beautiful is that….” After saying these words, a roaring sound disturbed our moment of happiness in astonishment and unreality. Suddenly the ground split open between our feet and before we knew it, we fell 40 meters down, ending up on the beach between huge rocks, sand and dust.
Shouting the name of my wife was the first thing I did, and miraculously she answered: ”I’m here and OK…”. Looking at the situation and conditions we were put into, it was surreal that hearing here voice was even possible!
Our situation was critical and our adrenaline level was high. I was visibly severely injured to my head and leg. My wife ‘seemed’ to be OK. No time for discussions, as the tide was coming in fast, and a minute later my wife walked, with a later known, shattered vertebra along the beach to get help, leaving me behind on the beach.
You understand that we both, from the moment of separating, had our own crisis and fear. Say ‘goodbye to life’ could have been a fact for us under the different threatening circumstances…..
It was the effort and courage of the ‘people’ at the viewpoint who have saved my wife of the almost inaccessible beach and finally could reach me at the collapsed area to tell that help was on the way.
It were these “people” of the rescue service, ambulance, police and hospital who ensured that we were transported safely to a hospital in Reykjavik.
We experienced the friendliness and hospitality of the inhabitants of Iceland. This was a great gift to us, giving us a special bond with Iceland.
Not to forget the people, family, friends and acquaintances, who have all helped us at home, giving the right care we needed.
We are very grateful that these people were willing to help us. Without these people we would not be who, and where, we are now.
These people made it possible for us to continue enjoying ‘life’
Jeroen & Irmgard de Graaf (The Netherlands)
The Holstee Manifesto was like a breath of fresh air; it resonated and sang out to me!
If you don’t like your job, quit: I did in 2010!
The world is changing second by second and anything not in sync I just can not dig anymore. I live my life how I want to, in the way I want to every day. I am lucky to be in this situation, I am a home nurturer to my partner and our 2 kitties.
I feel more at home here now on the planet than I ever have in my 52 years, the energy and vibe that is emerging and has emerged feels like home: creativity, asking questions, saying no, going for what feels good vs what you should be doing, loving more, shoulding less, urban gardening, green everywhere, saving ourselves and the planet, not accepting just because its been done like that forever we should keep doing it.
That’s why the Manifesto rang out, it spoke to my heart and soul and felt real. I love real and honest and transparent. There is nothing more of a turn on than that.
I love being a part of the Holstee family, we know what feels good and we go towards that instead of doing whatever anyone else tells us, we follow our hearts and spirits and its a win/win.
I don’t know whether I’m going to be doing 9-5 again but if I do it will need to have Holstee-ness as its framework, none of this boomer bullshit way of being; no grey walls, cube farms, time oriented work, but free flowing creativity with your tribe, where it all flows and yeah maybe money is part of it, but there’s more to it than that.
I’m still working it out, its a work in progress, I am a work in progress. Thanks for the love. xxxx
- Lise Sutherland Frase
I spotted the Holstee Manifesto poster while perusing the interweb for a present for my best friend Jenny’s birthday present (which is in a week so it arrived very promptly which was ace!). Jenny is totally in to this kind of messaging and is a bundle of joy and optimism (most of the time!) and fully understands the ethos behind the message. She is a creative soul (this isn’t a shameless plug for her website at all but she started this page just because she wants to spread some happiness and positive vibes to all. Which shows what kind of person she is and why she would dig your message!) and is going through a challenging time with work and I thought the Manifesto would be the perfect gift and inspiration for her to glance upon and draw strength from during the tougher times. Sounds a bit cheesy when written down, but that’s the truth! I’m certain she will be super-pleased with it when I collect it from the frame makers this weekend and hand it to her on Monday.
- Lee Marston
We are 2 young designers (Bianca Borri & Alessio Piccini) in love with life, working at the funkyfreshfactory.com studio. The Manifesto has enhanced our idea to live our passion as the most important thing to follow. We love each other, work together and, after have seen the Manifesto’s video, we’ve decided to develop this project about typography linked with drum reefs (studied ad hoc by the jazz drummer Piero Borri). We were so excited that the whole project was ready to be showcased in 3 months at the international fashion fair Pitti Immagine Uomo 82. (We’ve done everything by ourselves, from the concept to the customization of the “typodrum”, to the ID cards, posters, the shooting & video editing.) The love we put into this project has been the same we got back from the crowd.
Here you can get into our passionated adventure:
http://www.behance.net/gallery/typonotes-types-are-all-about-emotions/4704249
Now we’ve understand that in life everything is possible. All that you need is faith in what you are and what you’re doing. Just start.
- Bianca Bori
In May, I had just graduated college a year early with an advertising degree in my hand. I had an awesome internship with an agency in Colorado, and life was going pretty swell.
After a few weeks, though, I started to get the feeling that maybe advertising wasn’t it for me. I wasn’t sure that this was something I could do forever. My real passion was photography. More specifically, photographing people. I started to feel a bit trapped when I noticed one of my co-workers had a big copy of the Holstee Manifesto on her desk. As I passed it day after day, I read the top few lines. “Do what you love, and do it often.” Well one day, I decided to do just that. I enrolled in a photography program where I got my first Bachelor’s, and told my manager I was going back to school.
And you know what? Nothing is more exhilarating than following your dreams.
- Audrey Hirschl
I first came across Holstee on a 3AM pickup for a ride to Burning Man. During the eight hour drive, I was feeling a bit outside my comfort zone; alone, in unfamiliar territory, and going to a very strange place. It was here in the Holstee-Mobile that I began to learn about Mike, Dave, Fabian, and their Manifesto.
After spending some time with Fabian, Dave, and Mike, it quickly became evident that they had not just invited me into their car for a rideshare, but had adopted me into their sprawling extended family. It was equally evident that they were practicing what they preached, and living the lifestyle they espoused.
Today their Manifesto reminds me to prioritize what matters because there is nothing outside my control, that there is always a way to make time for something you love, and that I should enjoy every last moment because life is short.
- Jenn Sander
“Open your mind, arms and heart to new things and people”. The Manifesto for me is first and foremost about cultivating this openness to the world and its people. Individuals cannot achieve much when left to themselves, they live through and often for others to some extent; if only by using languages and ideas borrowed to the larger community, we are all connected and need to recognize it. Being open to new things and people might be necessary, however it’s not sufficient.
Life is also about “creating something” with others. Though at first I saw how that could apply directly to entrepreneurs, I thought it hardly applied to myself up to this point. Yet I soon realized that creating something with people does not require any physical product. Instead, the simple fact of meeting and sharing with others often leads you to creating a lasting impact in your interlocutor and develop a new, better understanding of the world for yourself.
Instead of creating something from nothing, we draw on the life experiences we have and enrich them incessantly with the power of others’ experiences and ideas. This can only be done if people are willing to share more than what lies at the surface, often too compliant to common norms to really challenge our world views and enable us to progress. We can then go on to make others progress in the same way, and let the virtuous cycle of life with the manifesto in mind start again!
-Alban Bressand
First there was surprise. The one that is important in life, every day, to be enlighted with engaging and energy to change the world. A world, your world, mine with them. I’ve been inspired with this first little team, that took a while to write the next big picture, from a blank page. This kind of “manifesto” must never die. All the initiative, energy guided by the few first members is core, and must be buzzed eveywhere. Such collaborative thinking guides us to a better linked world with solidarity. That’s where me and my family would like to live, and support. I trust all people who are able to bring such issues on the table, engaging their own few time to start new ways of debating and sharing together. That’s the idea I have of raising collaborative communities and bringing change to the world.
-Laurent Blondeau
The Holstee Manifesto is one of the most creative expressions of genuine values I’ve ever seen. I strongly believe that we will need a shift within organizations, from “prescribed values” to “real values”, co-created with all stakeholders and engrained in the minds and hearts of the people involved. By embodying this, this Manifesto has not only inspired a lot of our work around Impact Organizations and helped us to frame our ideas, but left a lasting footprint on me and the whole Sandbox community.
I just placed it over my bed, as a constant reminder to live each day to the ideas and ideals that keep me running.
We have been consistently amazed and inspired by the community of individuals who have embraced the Holstee Manifesto as their own. This is a celebration of the stories that speak to the truth that life is indeed about the people you meet and the things you create with them.
Submit your own story!
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