Hey friend!
The ideas today come from one of the most interesting people of all time.
Inventor, diplomat & entrepreneur…
He is famous for living by 13 ideas that he structured his life around.
Here are the virtues of the man that captured lightning from the sky:
Benjamin Franklin.
Many of these ideas are straightforward, so I’ll mostly leave you to ponder them yourself…
Use this list as inspiration to create your own moral ideals that you want to live by (my own are below).
- RESOLUTION
“Decide what you need to do; perform what you decide of yourself.”
Deciding what you need to do to achieve your goals is no easy task.
But in my opinion, the second step in this equation is the hardest - doing what you ask of yourself.
So remember this: don’t ask yourself to do things that you aren’t going to do.
- INDUSTRY
“Lose no time; always be doing something useful; cut off any actions that aren’t necessary.”
This leads us to the question, “What is useful?”
I will let you decide for yourself.
But I would turn your sites to actions that provide long-term benefits to yourself and the people you love.
Be careful not to fill your day with trivial tasks.
- TRANQUILLITY
“Don't worry about what situations you have no control over.”
Many people struggle with this one the most.
Including myself.
It’s easy to have anxiety when we try to control things we can’t.
Yeah I know…easier said than done.
But your life will start to look drastically different if you can master this virtue.
Here are Ben Franklin’s remaining virtues:
- Silence
- Frugality
- Temperance
- Moderation
- Chastity
- Order
- Justice
- Cleanliness
- Humility
- Sincerity
🏛️ My Virtues
Love: Having a selfless and genuine interest in the well-being of those around you.
Courage: The willingness to take calculated risks and step outside of one’s comfort zone.
Curiosity: Being open to new situations and perspectives.
I’m not an expert in any of these, but they're ideas that I hold as fundamental to creating the life I want to live.
What are your virtues?
📚 Book of the Week
If you enjoyed learning about B Frankie, check out his biography here, I just finished it!
Thanks for reading,
See you next week!
-Rocky “Benjamin Franklin Jr.” Ferony