The Holstee Manifesto was developed by two people who decided how they wanted to approach life and business. It bascially offers some options to be fully engaged in our life experience. The six steps below are taken from an article by Amber Rae.

If you wish to watch a great little video about these steps click here and remember to always wear your bike helmet!

We don’t have to do huge things in our life to make changes but as workers or employers, we could look at ways of developing a healthier work and life balance. Personally I have a rule of no shop talk on breaks and most times I am able to keep it. Even in a demanding and busy day, we can change our own little world. Reframing our view can have a very postive impact on our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being.

1. Presence                                                                                                                      When in conversation, give someone your fullest attention. Put the computer away, turn your phone on silent, and get lost in the moment with that person. Be fully interested, rather than interesting.

2. Architect your life.
Be considerate and intentional with your life decisions. Rather than let life happen to you, author the story of your life. Author and philosopher Howard Thurman says it best with, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

3. Personal time.
Taking time for yourself creates clarity and renewed energy. At Holstee, they strongly suggest all teammates take their birthday day off each month. In a startup culture where personal and working hours tend to get blurred, this creates space and perspective.

4. Ask “Why?”
Why am I doing this? Why are we creating this product? Why is this a design principle? Asking “why” encourages you to go deeper and become more aware of what’s driving you, and whether or not you want it to be driving you.

5. Know your food and appreciate meals.
What are you eating and where did it come from? As a society, over the last 50 years, we’ve created a knowledge and geographic gap as we’ve distanced ourselves from our food. To stay aware, the team at Holstee cooks in the office almost every day, and meal times are savored without work.

6. Understand the impact of what you buy.
Transparency is slowly being built into the operations of many forward-thinking companies. This movement is a direct result of the increasing number of people asking questions about the clothes they buy, where their electronics come from, and brands they choose to support. Before buying, understand the impact.

From Health Services