II. Following Your Dream Achievement and goal setting ####################### Book#5: Autobiography “1790” Author: Benjamin Franklin ######################## From the Book: • And I was not discourag’d by the seeming Magnitude of the Undertaking, as I have always thought that one Man of tolerable Abilities may work great Changes, & accomplish great Affairs among Mankind, if he first forms a good Plan, and, cutting off all Amusements or other Employments that would divert his Attention, makes the Execution of that same Plan his sole Study and Business. • When another asserted something that I thought an Error, I deny’d myself the Pleasure of contradicting him abruptly, and of immediately showing some Absurdity in his Proposition; and in answering I began by observing that in certain Cases or Circumstances his Opinion would be right, but that in the present case there appear’d or seem’d to me some Difference etc. I soon found the Advantage of this Change in my Manners. The Conversations I engag’d in went on more pleasantly. • “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” ################################# Creating the best possible self *********************** Franklin believed that virtue had worth for its own sake, whether or not it was to the glory of God. His background was Puritan and culturally he remained one, self-examining and self-improving. In his famous The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber names Franklin as a key exponent of this ethic. Franklin was a printer by trade and believed that character was the result of correcting the “errata” that prevent us attaining perfection. Life is not something we must suffer through, but is ripe for endless tinkering. This is why Franklin is seminal in self-help literature—he disregarded any religious conception that we are naturally bad or good people, but saw humans rather as blank slates designed for success. Seavey notes, “It was always natural for Franklin to be trying on a fresh identity, as if he were putting on new clothes.” He was truly modern in seeing that the individual was not a fixed proposition at all, but self-creating. ############################## Franklin’s law of constant self-improvement ********************* • Franklin wrote the Autobiography as an old man, considered a great man. • Franklin would have agreed with the phrase “leaders are readers”: Read at least a dozen non-fiction books a year and your life will be immeasurably enriched and improved. • Franklin’s message is timeless: Greatness is not for the few, but is the duty of all of us. • We protest that we are not that special, that we don’t have the talent or the drive, but Franklin knew that an ethic of constant self-improvement is the yeast that makes an individual rise. ################################# Franklin and the self-help ethic ********************** The famous example of Franklin’s self-help ethic is what has become known as The Art of Virtue, in which he listed the 12 qualities he aimed to possess. By a system of graphs and daily self-appraisal, he claimed to have (mostly) achieved the desired virtues, having some difficulty with Order, or what we might now call time management; but realizing he was too proud at having lived up to his own standards, he created a thirteenth, Humility! 1. Temperance. Eat not to Dullness. Drink not to Elevation. 2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation. 3. Order. Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time. 4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality. Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, Waste nothing. 6. Industry. Lose no Time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and if you speak, speak accordingly. 8. Justice. Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty. 9. Moderation. Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. 10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes or Habitation. 11. Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable. 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. 13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates. Franklin also advocated use of a “morning question”—“What good shall I do this day?”—and an “evening question”—“What good have I done today?” ############################### The secret of influence ***************** • Finally, Franklin’s built-in skill at winning friends and influencing people did not escape the attention of Dale Carnegie. • As a young man, Franklin believed himself to be highly skilled in argument, but came to the conclusion that this “skill” actually stood in the way of getting things done. • He developed the habit of only ever expressing himself in terms of “modest Diffidence,” never saying words like “undoubtedly” or trying to correct people. • Instead, he used measured phrases such as “It appears to me...” or “If I am not mistaken...” The result was that, even though he was not a great speaker, people focused on his ideas and he was quick to gain credibility. ################ Conclusion ******** Constant self-improvement and a love of learning form your ticket to unusual success. ########################### Reference: Book#5: Autobiography “1790” Author: Benjamin Franklin
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 19:14:35 +0000
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