5 lessons from Benjamin Franklin to help you succeed in life

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How to efficiently allocate your time? How to achieve moral perfection? Benjamin Franklin knew the answers to these questions, and we'll share five important lessons with you today.

Many people die at 25, and only go to the grave at 75.

Benjamin Franklin

Almost all of us have heard something about the famous politician, scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin.

In order to better illustrate his invaluable contribution to history, let us turn to his achievements. Benjamin Franklin:

• Invented a lightning rod;
• Invented bifocals;
• Invented the Franklin oven;
• He made many outstanding discoveries in the field of electricity;
• Created the first detailed map of the Gulf Stream;
• Founded the first public library in the United States;
• Founded the Philadelphia Academy;
• Participated in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution;
• And at the same time he was actively involved in publishing.

An impressive list of achievements, isn't it?

Now you are probably asking yourself, how could one person achieve so much? It's all about the right attitude. Benjamin Franklin knew the importance of self-organization and discipline, and thanks to this he succeeded in many ways.

He proved by his example that a person is able to independently develop habits that will help him achieve significant success. When you read about his life, a quote from the legendary thinker comes to mind:

We are what we do all the time. Perfection, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

Aristotle

Here are some of the most valuable lessons we can learn from the life of Benjamin Franklin. They will be useful to each of us.

1. Time is the most scarce resource

Lost time is never found again.

Benjamin Franklin was well aware of the importance of time. We all have different skills, talents and capabilities. But we also all have the same amount of time - 24 hours a day. What matters is not how much time we have, but how efficiently we allocate it. Time is our most scarce resource, and we must learn to use it rationally.

Do you love life? Then waste no time; for time is the fabric of which life is made.

Benjamin Franklin

When people realize that they have little time, they begin to value it and spend it rationally - on achieving the most important goals.

Realizing that time is really short is a good start. Finding a way to effectively use your time is another matter. Franklin understood this well. Therefore, he developed a system that helped him use his time with the greatest efficiency.

2. Thirteen Virtues

Benjamin Franklin has always thought about what kind of person he wants to become. In the end, he was able to formulate a clear goal: he wanted to become "moral perfection." This thought came to Benjamin at the age of 20. In order to achieve his goal, he created a list of 13 virtues.

1. Abstinence … Eat not to the point of satiety, drink not to the point of intoxication.
2. Silence … Say only what can benefit you or someone else; avoid empty talk.
3. Love of order … Let there be a place for each of your things; let there be a time for each of your business.
4. Determination … Decide to do what you must; but what you have decided, do it unswervingly.
5. Thrift … Allow yourself only those expenses that will benefit others or yourself; Don't waste anything.
6. Hard work … Don't waste your time; always be busy with something useful; cancel all unnecessary tasks.
7. Sincerity … Do not resort to pernicious deception: let your thoughts be innocent and just; and if you speak, then let the words be the same.
8. Justice … Never offend people by doing them harm or not doing good, as the duty says.
9. Moderation … Avoid extremes; do not hold a grudge for the harm done to you, even if you think it deserves it.
10. Cleanliness … Do not allow the slightest dirt on yourself, in clothes, or in the house.
11. Calmness … Don't worry about trifles, little or inevitable incidents.
12. Chastity … Indulge in lust rarely, solely for health or for procreation; do not allow it to lead to dullness or weakness, or deprive you of peace of mind or cast a shadow on the good name of you or anyone else.
13. Meekness. Follow the example of Jesus and Socrates.

An impressive list of virtues, isn't it? But Franklin didn't stop there.

He developed a system that helped him make these virtues a part of his daily life. It was based on a 13-week plan that helped him stay focused on what was important right now.

Since Franklin's main goal was to make these virtues familiar, he decided to set aside one week for each one. And only after this time has passed to move on to the next virtue.

The daily struggle is to constantly stay focused on what really matters.

Like many of us, Benjamin Franklin found it very difficult to concentrate.

This is actually difficult, especially when we fall asleep before going to bed with the thought that tomorrow we have to complete many tasks that will distract us from our main goal. Neither has anyone canceled pressure from other people and our own conflicting priorities.

To stay focused, Benjamin Franklin kept a 13-page notebook, one for each virtue. He lined each page to make seven columns (seven days of the week). Then he drew 13 horizontal lines (13 virtues).

Franklin knew that he would not be able to master all 13 virtues at once. As mentioned above, he decided to devote one week to each of them. Franklin believed that if he focused on one virtue, it would quickly become a habit. After that, he planned to move on to another virtue, next week to the next, and so on, until he mastered everyone.

For the first week, Franklin's main focus was on one virtue; other virtues were left to chance, he only marked every evening with a black circle the mistakes made during the day.

There are three things that are extremely difficult to do: break steel, crush a diamond, and know yourself.

Benjamin Franklin

Thus, he could work on himself, improve himself and make fewer and fewer mistakes every day, getting better every year.

3. Plan your every day

Franklin knew how important it was to do the right thing at the right time. To succeed in this, he always clearly planned his day.

With a daily schedule, he structured all of his affairs, and this allowed him to focus on what really matters.

Let all things lie in their place; let each business have its own time.

Benjamin Franklin

Below is an example of Benjamin Franklin's schedule ↓

If you plan your every day, then you can focus on what really matters to you. And do the right thing at the right time.

Such a schedule will help you plan your entire day: you will be sure that you will not forget anything and will have time for everything.

Everything that was important to him, Benjamin included in his schedule. When you prepare your own schedule, remember that you need to include not only work, but also your personal affairs in it.

4. Wake up early

Every minute spent organizing your activities saves you an hour.

Benjamin Franklin

Franklin knew how important it was to be an organized person.

It's not a secret for anyone that if we come to work and do not structure all the tasks that we face, then we will quickly get bogged down in the numerous trifles that are piled on us every day.

We will be nervous and rush between different tasks, not knowing what to give preference to. Being in a similar regime every day, we get lost, forget about what is really important and, as a result, do not fulfill what is needed. If we don’t do anything to get rid of our disorganization, we will soon be overwhelmed by days, weeks, months, and even years without progress.

Anyone who gets up late must run all day in order to barely complete all his affairs by nightfall.

Benjamin Franklin

Franklin got up every day at 5 am in order to determine his plans for the day. He asked himself the same question every morning: “ What should I do today? «.

He woke up, had breakfast, planned his day, and by 8 am he was ready to start business.

This was his morning habit. In many ways, perhaps routine. But it was very important because it allowed him to focus on the main goal.

Thanks to this habit, Franklin had a 3 hour head start over the others. What you do from the moment you wake up to the moment you start working is of great importance. The outcome of your entire day may depend on this.

5. What good did I do in a day?

Going to bed early and getting up early is what makes a person healthy, wealthy and smart.

Benjamin Franklin

The end of the day is the time when you can appreciate everything you have done today. You can notice your progress and praise yourself for your successes, or, conversely, realize that you still have to work hard to achieve your goal.

Benjamin Franklin asked himself every night, "What good have I done today?" This was an important step towards his goal, which, as we recall, was to achieve moral perfection.

The life of Benjamin Franklin is a vivid example of the fact that you can achieve what you want if you constantly and purposefully strive for it. This man managed to change not only his life, but also the lives of many people.