Benjamin Franlin's guide for self improvement

Benjamin Franklin (Wikimedia)

There are now a lot of self improvement books and articles. Every month, more books and more words are printed, all promising the ‘keys to success’ or ‘a better life’ in some way or another. The volume and choice of this material is confusing in the extreme.

However it doesn’t have to be like this. People yearn for brevity, simplicity and clarity. We live in an ‘instant-age’ where good and powerful ideas should be simple and easy to remember and should be expressed on just one sheet of paper. Self improvement is an area where less is really more!

Ironically, it is looking into the past, that we discover a short, simple and clear plan for self improvement. Writing in 1784, in the second part of his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells us that whilst in his twenties, he ‘conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.’ He devised a list of thirteen virtues he considered important and for clarity and simplicity, each virtue has a single name and a short precept to express its meaning.

 

Self Improvement – the 13 virtues

  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. Justice, Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the advantages that are your duty.
  4. Moderation, Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  5. Cleanliness, Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
  6. Tranquillity, Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  7. 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.
  8. Humility, Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
  9. Order, Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  10. Resolution, Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  11. Frugality, Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.
  12. Industry, Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; discontinue all unnecessary actions.
  13. Sincerity, Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

This is a small list but with big intent, and Franklin tells us that he didn’t try to attempt all virtues at once.

He chose to fix on one at any one time and then move on through the list. Consequently he arranged the list in what he considered to be the order of importance for him, believing that success in Temperance, Silence and Order, would help lead to success in Resolution, Frugality and Industry, and so on. At all times his intention was to improve his habits.

He also thought that daily reflection on his success was important. To this end he kept a note pad to record his faults. Each page was ruled with seven columns and thirteen lines. One column for each day of the week, and one line for each virtue. He recorded his faults daily with a black spot in the appropriate square.

Franklin would have admitted he never achieved perfection in any of these virtues, but he also knew that seeking to realize moral perfection enhanced his life in so many ways.

Franklin’s 187 words are as significant today as they were when he devised them.

In modern parlance, Franklin

* set a clear aim; moral perfection,
* devised a simple set of objectives; thirteen virtues,
* acted on his objectives,
* measured his success against these objectives,
* reflected on his success,
* returned to start the process again.

Why don’t you use Franklin’s model for self improvement for yourself. Print out the thirteen virtues, treat yourself to a small notebook and begin helping yourself today.