Founding Father Ben Franklin's 13-Point Plan For Virtuous Living

Let one of your life and business mentors be Ben Franklin. At age 20, he wrote a 13-point plan for how he would life his life.

His point 3 was on Order. He said "Let all things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time". His point 6 on Industry was "Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut all all unnecessary actions". This is great advice ... now let me show you how to apply it.

A field inspector has spend a lot of his time chasing after one field services firm. He was unable to log into their web server and all of his calls to the support telephone number were not answered. No one responded to his voice mails. He was ignored.

It's time for this field inspector to move on as he is just wasting his time with a very disorganized field services firm. "Let all things have their places." It's time to place this field services firm in the trash can. "Be always employed in something useful." Why waste your time trying to connect with a firm that is disorganized ... that will waste your time ... and kill your efficiency and profits. "Cut all all unnecessary actions."

There are many national and regional field service firms in the industry. Don't waste your time with the disorganized firms. Let me REPEAT this:  There are many national and regional field service firms in the industry. Don't waste your time with the disorganized firms.

Make Ben Franklin your mentor and you will be happier and have more 100 dollar bills with Ben's photo in your pocket.

More Detail On The 13-Point Plan

When Benjamin Franklin was 20 years old, he wrote up a 13-point "plan" for how he would live his life. He found that following the plan increased his happiness so much that he kept it up for the rest of his life. He committed to giving strict attention to one virtue each week so after 13 weeks he moved through all 13. After 13 weeks he would start the process over again so in one year he would complete the course a total of 4 times.

He tracked his progress by using a little book of 13 charts. At the top of each chart was one of the virtues. The charts had a column for each day of the week and thirteen rows marked with the first letter of each of the 13 virtues. Every evening he would review the day and put a mark (dot) next to each virtue for each fault committed with respect to that virtue for that day.

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.