Posts tagged Time 3
Self-Improvement Lessons From Ben Franklin
Sep 14th
Ben Franklin was truly an amazing human being. He was a statesman, an inventor, an economist, a philosopher and the list goes on. And of course, he was one of our founding fathers.
Ben Franklin also had a deep desire to make himself a better man than he was the day before. Self-improvement was a lifelong passion for him. We would all do well to emulate him in this regard.
Because he felt he had been irresponsible in his youth, he made four resolutions for being a better person.
1. Live frugally so that he could save enough to repay what he owed to others.
2. Be honest and sincere in every word and action.
3. Be industrious to whatever business he was involved in.
4. To speak ill of no man, “not even in a manner of truth,” and to “speak all the good I know of everybody.”
From these 4 resolutions, Ben Franklin put together an actionable plan. He developed what he called his 12 virtues:
1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
3. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
4. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
5. Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
8. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
9. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
10. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
11. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
12. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation
Supposedly, he showed his list and his plan to live by the list to a friend and his friend replied, drily, that Ben seemed to think much of himself and perhaps Ben should add humility to the list. And the 12 virtues become 13.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
He wrote each virtue on a separate page and evaluated his conduct with regard to that virtue on a daily basis. Further, he focused on one virtue each week and practiced at improving his behavior with regard to the virtue for the week.
This is powerful. Hundreds of years ago, Ben Franklin practiced a simple, yet profoundly powerful self-improvement technique that made him a better person, little by little, every day.
And also, his plan for improving himself is a textbook example of planning. His life goal is to live a good life. He began by writing what he wanted to do and be (Stephen Covey’s “begin with the end in mind”) with his 4 resolutions. Then he developed an actionable plan by writing down his virtues with daily and weekly follow-ups.
Absolutely tremendous.
I would highly recommend looking into his life and emulating this great American.
Stillness is a Powerful Movement
Feb 11th
“Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat.” ~ Lao Tzu
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It’s a bias of our culture that stillness is regarded as lazy, as being stuck in inaction, as a negative. It’s not. It’s an action, and a powerful one. What’s more, it can change your day, and in doing so change your life. You’re in the middle of a frazzled day, swamped by work and meetings and emails and interruptions, or hassled by kids and phone calls and errands and chores. |
You pause. Stay still for a minute, and breathe. You close your eyes, and find a stillness within yourself. This stillness spreads to the rest of your body, and to your mind. It calms you, centers you, focuses you on what you’re doing right now, not on all you have to do and all that has happened.
The stillness becomes a transformative action.
Stillness can be a powerful answer to the noise of others. It can be a way to push back against the buzz of the world, to take control. It can remind you of what’s important.
How to Practice
Stillness, oddly, doesn’t come naturally to many people. So practice.
1. Start your day in stillness. Whether it’s sitting with a cup of coffee as the world awakes, or sitting on a pillow and focusing on your breath, stillness is a powerful way to start your day. It sets the tone for things to come. Even 5-10 minutes is great.
2. Take regular stillness breaks. Every hour, set an alarm on your computer or phone to go off. Think of it as a bell that rings, reminding you to be still for a minute. During this minute, focus first on your breathing, to bring yourself into the present. Let the worries of the world around you melt away — all that is left is your breath. And then let your focus expand beyond your breath to your other senses, one at a time.
3. When chaos roars, pause. In the middle of a crisis or a noisy day, stop. Be still. Take a deep breath, and focus on that breath coming in, and going out. Find your inner stillness and then let your next action come from that stillness. Focus on that next action only.
Let stillness become your most powerful action. It could change your life.
“Through return to simple living Comes control of desires. In control of desires Stillness is attained. In stillness the world is restored.” ~ Lao Tzu
