Throughout your lifetime you have established many habits. Some of them are good and some are not so good. This article is about how to replace more of the bad ones with more of the good ones.
Remember, if you sow an act you reap a habit. If you sow a habit you reap a character. If you sow a character you reap a destiny.
Ben Franklin's secret to his self-improvement was to focus on each virtue he wanted to acquire and make incremental improvements by noticing his behavior each day. He focused on one virtue each week. Listed below are the 13 virtues he settled on.
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; 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; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility - 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.
Commit yourself to using Ben Franklin's method four times over the course of the next year (52 weeks) and then once a year thereafter to keep on track throughout your lifetime.
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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program and Og Mandino's University of Success
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