practice Franklin's 13 virtues

Taking a break from thinking about it at the moment

This last weekend I got really really drunk, I am ashamed to say I am still recovering.

However, I have found a website on the internet called acomplaintfreeworld.org and 21 day challenge to go without complaining. I’m thinking of taking the challenge to better my Silence Virtue!

Like Ed, I thought Silence would be easy for me. But I soon realized all the negative things I would say … my own “tall poppy syndrome”. So I have stopped knocking myself and others off their well deserved perch!

Third Virtue, Order… I’m going to need a whole month to sort out Order, especially the part where ”..all your things have their places…” My bedroom is a bombsite. Let each part of your business have its time, I’m interpreting this as having a balance between work/play/family etc. Lets see how I go!

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation. This will be easy to watch myself on as I felt this was a virtue I wanted years ago, when I was on the recieving end of people’s ‘trifles’. Lets see how I go in my first week.

Someone has pointed out to me that “Drink Not To Elevation” might mean not drinking alcohol at all. I have chosen not to interpret it that way, but rather, like in my previous entry, means to me not to drink too much. And I have behaved myself well! And so I’m off to a great start!

I ate junk food!!! Lets start from….now!

Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation. To me, this translates into 1)Don’t eat takeaway – takeaway to me can get dull even when it is quick and easy. Non-dull foods are those I have prepared for myself and are fresh to eat. 2) Don’t drink until I’m drunk. I now have a goal to cut coke out of my drinking habits, which means that this severely limits my mixers! I’m resolved to drink 2-3 glasses of wine in any one occasion. Let’s see how I go in a week’s time!

I’ve printed out the list, so that I can encourage myself to keep to the virtues.