I need to get rid of this bad habit of swearing. 3 years ago

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and 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: i.e. 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. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. 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.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates. 3 years ago

Humility is my focus this week, and so far it’s gone well. I’ve always had a kind of conceited or self-congratulatory aspect to my personality. I usually bring it up humorously; I always assumed people found it charming (they laugh). But if I really want to be taken seriously, I think I’m going to have to get beyond that. And that’s only the external manifestations of it. I’ve got to start valuing other people’s opinions more as well, and realizing that I’m not always right. Without losing the ability to make my arguments, when I do think I’m right, however.

I knew from almost the day I started these that Humility was a weakness of mine. Sometimes it’s simply insecurity that makes me think every one else must be wrong. Sometimes I genuinely do think I’m smarter than everyone else. This exercise has made me realize that neither of these view are healthy (or correct).

Imitate Socrates. Imitate Jesus.

I noticed today that this is week 16 of 2009. I started on Jan 1, so I guess I missed a few weeks along the way. But overall, I’m very happy with this exercise, and I plan to continue it. People have already begun noticing changes in me, although they can’t put their fingers on what it is, just yet. I truly feel like I’m a better person than I was 13 (or 16) weeks ago. 4 years ago

I’m not really comfortable discussing this one in this forum. Suffice it to say, it’s neither my strongest nor my weakest discipline, and I will continue to focus on it as I do all the others. 4 years ago

During the week when I focused on this discipline, I discovered just how bad I am. I’ve always felt that I’m a pretty laid back guy, and I’ve even been told such. But things still get to me that shouldn’t. I get stressed, and things irritate me. This is something I violate more often than I ever realized. So much so that “Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable” has become like a mantra. 4 years ago

Never a problem for me. I shower daily and keep my clothes (or cloaths) pretty decent. I guess the habitation gets a little messy sometimes. This is also related to the some other goals I’ve been focussing on recently: virtue #3, order, namely keeping everything in its place, and clean sweep task #3, “My home is clean and tidy.” I’ve got reminders in my planner to keep an eye on how well I do picking up after myself for the next 3 weeks. I was good for a while, but I think I’m slipping.

Body, cloaths, and habitation. Two out of three’s not bad. 4 years ago

I’ve pondered this and pondered this, and I must admit, I still don’t fully understand this virtue. Moderation: avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. So the second part is clear, but it’s also pretty rare (I don’t get my feelings hurt that often.) Moderation seems like it should mean more than just don’t take things personally. Avoid extremes. In what sense? Does anyone have examples of being immoderate?

Anyway, I think I do this, to the best of my understanding. I’m fairly cautious in a lot of my decision making, so I guess that qualifies as a kind of moderation. Maybe part of it is just not going overboard in whatever it is that your doing? If you’re being orderly and frugal that shouldn’t be an issue.

Everytime I think I’m starting to understand it, I lose it again. Maybe I’m simply overcomplicating it. Maybe that’s immoderate as well.

I love to know if anyone else has any thoughts on this one. 4 years ago

I’ve always been an honest person. It’s the way I was raised. So these two disciplines come naturally to me. There are very few instances when I even have to remind myself to be sincere or just. And usually then, it’s because I made a self-preservative move out of fear, and (nearly) always try to correct it.

But, I’ve been lax in taking note of these during the past few weeks, so I may be worse at them than I’m letting on.

Industry, order, temperance, chastity, these are the primary disciplines which require work for me. Many of the others are a product of the values that were instilled in my growing up.

I’ve got to apologize to anyone actually reading this. It all sounds rather conceited, but I’m simply thinking out loud (so to speak..er..type). Or perhaps I’m simply trying to rationalize going through two weeks without paying enough attention to my habits in these areas. That in itself would be insincere.

They’re both things that need to be monitored in the future. 4 years ago

Ongoing project – I did fall down with these. So I am going to do what Franklin did – keep trying even if I fail sometimes. So The virtue of the week will feature along with reminding myself what they actually are.

I tried informally but this did not go to plan. So I am trying formally.

Need to fill my diary – I have an A5 page a day one!

Marking this as complete as I did practice them but not practise them (enough) if you understand the distinction! 4 years ago

Ironically, I was too busy last week to really focus on my industry. I guess that means I passed. All I did was work, really. I’d like to do something to make my weekends more productive. Even though I worked 10 hours last weekend, I didn’t really get much else accomplished. 4 years ago

This one is easy. I’m generally frugal in everything I do (or I make my best effort to be). Perhaps I could look more carefully at my financial decisions that have already been made. I’m good about not spending on things I can’t justify, but maybe I need to look harder at things that I thought were unavoidable. For instance, I could save a bundle by switching to Geico.

Stupid lizard. 4 years ago

These were both a little difficult for me. It’s not that I’m disorganized, but I’m one of those people that always feels like he doesn’t have enough time for anything. This is preposterous, of course. I’ve the exact same number of hours in a day as Franklin himself had; the same as Einstein, and Edison, and Leonardo da Vinci. When I look back on the discipline of “Order” I get hung up on the second half of Franklin’s description: “Let each part of your business have its time.” The same problem comes up when I try to do what I resolve to do each day or week. The next time these two disciplines come up (I’m focusing on one a week), I think time management will be critical to their success.

Side note: I am really proud of how well I’ve done in staying focused on these disciplines. (I think of them as disciplines because I think the term virtue has religious/moral overtones that really aren’t applicable here.) I’m seven weeks in and I never miss more than a day at a time. It’s finally sinking in to the point where a certain discipline will flash through my head as soon as I’m about to violate it. It really narrows the focus of self-improvement tremendously. 4 years ago

I’m a pretty quiet guy, so I thought Silence would be a breeze. But it’s only after I started focusing on it that I realize just how damn much I really do talk. I’m certainly no motor mouth, but I really do talk a lot more than I need to. The thing that concerns me isn’t so much the amount that I talk, but that so much of it is really so negative. It’s as if I have a need to point out the down side of everything, even though most of the time, it’s better left unsaid, and there is no benefit to airing these negative opinions. I certainly don’t want to airing legitimate concerns, but I don’t need to be negative about everything, and when I do have a thought like that, I can at least try to keep it to myself.

Anyway, as with Temperance, the discipline that I am focusing on for the week is the one I violate every single day (so far). I think maybe I violate all of them every day, but I take closer note of the one I’m focused on.

This is a long, rambling post that really probably violates the idea of silence in itself, but I have to get back to work, and don’t have time to proof it. Maybe over the weekend. 4 years ago

I’ve completed my week of Temperance. I failed in one way or another nearly every day. When I drink, I don’t have one, I have 3 or 4. When I eat, I usually don’t overeat (unless it’s free) but I also think this needs to include eating the RIGHT kind of things. I’ve started a habit of, when I pick up something I’m not supposed to eat, I go through a quick list in my head of what terrible things are in it. Grease, refined sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, etc. I usually eat or drink it anyway, but it’s making me aware of my bad habits, and I’m starting slowly to make some better decisions. 4 years ago

I started my work with Franklin’s thirteen virtues on Monday. This week is Temperance, at which I’m learning I am an utter failure. 4 years ago

1. RESOLUTION: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve

2. INDUSTRY: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

3. TRANQUILITY: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

4. TEMPERANCE: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

5. ORDER: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

6. FRUGALITY: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

7. MODERATION: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

8. CLEANLINESS: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

9. JUSTICE: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

10. SINCERITY: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

11. 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.

12. SILENCE: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

13. HUMILITY: Imitate Jesus and Socrates. 4 years ago

Upon second reading, this plan constitutes an extraordinarily high standard to which to hold oneself. I like it, but I wonder…could I?

Here is the list:
1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and 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: i.e. 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. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.
11. 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.
12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Also, just as interesting as the rigor involved in this plan is the way Franklin tracked his progress. Evidently, he kept a book of charts. He wouldn’t record what he had done to transgress each virtue. He simply placed a dot next to the name of the virtue. It was strictly a quantitative system, from what I can tell. I’m sure there was a great deal more reflection involved than this, but I still find it interesting…. Maybe it isn’t. 4 years ago

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Monday:Failed.

Tuesday:Failed.

Wednesday:Failed.

Thursday:Failed.

Friday:Failed.

Saturday:Failed.

Sunday:Failed.

Another week of failure.

Maybe I should try something a little less taxing. Like breathing ;-) 4 years ago

Franklin’s autobiography was always on my books to read list, but I never got to it. Stumbling across this was fascinating. I don’t have time at the moment, but I would like to give this goal the attention it deserves. 4 years ago

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

Monday:Failed.

Tuesday:Failed.

Wednesday:Failed.

Thursday:Failed.

Friday:Failed.

Saturday:Failed.

Sunday:Failed.

Oh dear! A whole week of failure. Oh well, I will do better next quarter. 4 years ago

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Monday:Failed.

Tuesday:Failed.

Wednesday:Failed.

Thursday:Failed.

Friday:Success.

Saturday:Failed.

Sunday:Failed.

Hmmm – one success this week is better than no success! 4 years ago

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Monday:Failed.

Tuesday:Failed.

Wednesday:Failure.

Thursday:Success!

Friday:Failed.

Saturday:Failed.

Sunday:Failed. 4 years ago

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.

Monday:Success.

Tuesday:Success.

Wednesday:Failed.

Thursday:Success.

Friday:Success.

Saturday:Failed.

Sunday:Neither failed or succeeded! 4 years ago

Yes its on my life list but I had forgotten about doing it until I got cheered on this goal today. I think that I shall have to set this up as a diary entry in my diary and use it!

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloths, or habitation.

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

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.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates 4 years ago

Yes, one per cent. Do one per cent at a time if you are as backward as I am in order to get ahead and do better.

One per cent of an inconic and great individual is better to aspire to than trying to aspire to the whole of them. 4 years ago

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Apparently after yet more research on Franklin’s practice of these virtues – he would cycle through the virtue of the week throughout his list. This would mean that each quarter he would go though “virtue of the week” each week for the whole quarter. Then he would start again. Also he would assess how many times a day he had faltered on each virtue.

This is the greatest systemic early example of self improvement I have seen. It serves as an inspiration especially as we know that he had difficulty in keeping some of these virtues in his life. But he was human and I think it is worth focusing on what he accomplished rather that on what he didn’t do.

I have also seen that he originally created 12 virtues for himself but added the 13th (humility) later on in life when a friend accused him of being too boastful of these virtues.

Can’t really use this site easily to list have many times I fail at each virtue daily.

Monday: I am omitting the benefits that are properly due to my wife and child. I am morose and moody and angry with them a lot of the time. Yes I’m unemployed at the moment but that should not be an excuse.

Tuesday: Benefits? Paying tax is a benefit to society so long as taxes are not sqandered. Have paid taxes for 17+ years this is valid.
Wednesday:Not Done.
Thursday:Not Done.
Friday:Not Done.
Saturday:Not Done. Day trip to Weston-Super-Mare.
Sunday:No Done. Anniversary. 4 years ago

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Monday: I do not make any formal resolutions today. But this isn’t about formal or informal it is about doing what is right. Helped my sister with a job application this evening. Since she hasn’t changed jobs for 10 years this is a major undertaking.

Tuesday: I can find any number of excuses not to do things. I need to just do it. So I resolve to make an effort in keeping to the spirit of the Franklin virtues if not the exact letter. So let’s see where we are with those:-

• Temperance Last night I didn’t empty out all the food from the leftover pot in the fridge to reheat. 6/10
• Order This sucks though I have started to make entries in a paper based diary. 2/10
• Resolution This weeks featured virtue… 1/10
• Frugality I have unnecesary expenses that I need to eliminate but have not got round to doing so. 0/10
• Moderation I still need to dump some baggage on this. Also need to actually moderate myself see chastity. 0/10
• Industry Still doing busywork and procrastinating! 1/10
• Cleanliness Generally ok though at weekends I do not always ablute, bathroom needs regrouting and a better vac is required. 3/10
• Tranquility Doing better with this – yoga helps. 2/10
• SilenceThis is bad though as I have been talking to my brother a lot recently I have learnt to terminate my stream of unnecessary dialogue before he does! 4/10
• Sincerity I would like everyone to know the real me but that will not get me far. So I need to change into someone who can let everyone know who they really are without it holding them back. 1/10
• Justice I always do right for other people but not for myself. You can’t help others if you don’t help yourself into and maintain some form of stability. So I need to be just to myself. 5/10
• Chastity Eyes wander too much! 0/10
• Humilty Don’t normally have a problem with this except I now realise that no job is truly beneath me. 7/10

Wednesday: Said I would help my sister today with a job application – we managed to spend most of the day on it and it still wasn’t just so but she had had enough of it by then so we submitted it.

Thursday: Failed to perform what I ought!

Friday: Applied for a job that I absolutely wanted. As a ‘personal advisor’. I was a volunteer adviser (sic) back in the nineties so going back to my roots would be good. Maybe I lookin at things through a rose colored view.

Saturday: Failed to perform what I ought!

Sunday: Failed to perform what I ought! 4 years ago

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

This virtue needs the most focus. Why? Well without it, the other virtues don’t get much attention! Therefore this is back on the agenda for the week again. But more than that I will track the other virtues on a daily basis. If it was good enough for Benjamin Franklin – then it’s good enough for me.

Monday: Heard my brother was going to back in town for a couple of days this weekend. He is coming over quite a bit now – in the last couple of months. Nothing wrong in that – in fact I quite look forward to him coming. He just makes me feel like a loser and wasterel. (He has also been tackling me about getting a new job – I am trying but I am despondent about it.) Which should be expected since I have been a loser and wastrel.

He has a masters degree in engineering and has worked for 3 footsie companys now is working for a privately owned consultancy.

But I am a loser and waster no more. My continually worrying has paralysed me. I am now my own coach – I am advising myself to Get It Done – not get it perfect.

Tuesday: Need to get off 43 things for a while but keep the life list open. Here’s something that may work.
1) Go to life list page
2) Right click “Print” link near top of page
3) Select either “open in new tab” or “open in a new window”.
4) Keep open the new web window with just the Life List
5) Cancel on the Windows print window that opens up
6) Log out of the main 43 Things window and close it
7) You have the life list to refer to whilst your browser is active.

Wednesday: 43T is becoming a bit of black hole of time. It is diminishing returns beyond a certain point. For me, I think so. So let’s finish what I have to say and get off and do something more productive.

Thursday: Only managed one productive hour yesterday the rest was busywork and disarray.

From now on (July 10, 2008) I will try to make entries in the following goals. Even if the result was negative. Benjamin Franklin failed many times to keep his virtues but he did improve himself substancially.

DAILY

• Master Simpleology 101 then 102 then 103

• Practice Franklin’s 13 virtues

• Learn how to make money fast and legally but not necessarily easily

• Start my own business and become a millionaire

• Do the 100 day challenge

• Improve my book keeping skills

• Beat my depression and stop worrying about things that don’t matter

WEEKLY

• Do a weekly personal review

Friday: Skived off in the afternoon but I got some businees reading done and opened an account at Craig’s List. What has this to do with Industry – well clutter impedes efficiency so this might help me in that regard. Went out this evening and got someone to agree to be referee – result.

Saturday: This virtue is (for me) linked into virtue “Order”. This is because if order is impaired. (i.e. ineffective organisation of items or insufficently scheduled time) then industry suffers as I am unfocused.

My brother came to house today and made me feel like a mound of droppings. Yes we all know how well he seems to be doing and how I messed up bigtime with being a success. But what to do? Take each day as it comes – live in day tight compartments.

Sunday: My brother has problems. I felt a brief moment of satisfaction about finding this out then felt guilty about this. Gave him whatever advice that I could. I haven’t been much of a big brother but I try intermittedly. However this time I was not rebuffed. Result! However several hours passed by in manic activity between his laptop and my PC. Then I watched a DVD movie on the TV with the other half and lost the evening. Very unproductive. 4 years ago

Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

Well this week, habitation is ok we do need a need vacuum cleaner – one that doesn’t suck at sucking! Clothes I change regularly – though at the weekend I spent two days without taking a shower – much to the annoyance of the other half.

To improve – get a better vacuum cleaner or least empty it out more often. Also, try to have a wash every day – weekend or not. 4 years ago