Work From Home Ideas

As part of my personal self improvement action plan, I was recently bookmarking some web sites to auto-load as I opened my browser in the morning.  I usually spend the first 15-30 minutes of my day reading, listening to or watching helpful content to get myself in the right frame of mind for the rest of the day ahead.

I was looking for some good quotes to reference, and I was fortunate enough to stumble across an excellent site that chronicled the life and philosophy of Benjamin Franklin.

To my surprise, I discovered that this legendary Founding Father was a life-long self improvement enthusiast!

Now, I was fully aware of the fact that Ben Franklin was a well-read scholar, intellectual, inventor, scientist, writer and savvy politician known for his clever wit and ability to get things done.  I guess that should have been a tip-off!

However, I was amazed to learn some additional facts about this great man of history…

Ben Franklin was actually quite the athlete, and was an early proponent of regular workouts and physical fitness.  Having taught himself how to swim, he was an avid swimmer his entire life and was even inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame.

He formed The Junto in 1727, a group of men drawn from diverse occupations and backgrounds that all shared a mutual spirit of inquiry and a desire to improve themselves, their community, and to help others.

In an effort to save money to buy additional books to read, Ben Franklin decided at a very early age to become a vegetarian since meat was quite expensive in those days.  This decision provided him with not only better health but also the funds needed for the purchase of the books – a double-edged self improvement sword.

Also at an early age, he embarked on a self-imposed journey of what he referred to as ‘moral perfection’.  This ultimately led to his famous 13 Virtues list.  As a personal self improvement plan, Ben Franklin would concentrate on one virtue for an entire week, then move on to the next.  To track his progress, he carried the list with him at all times and after 13 weeks he’d start at the beginning again.  Quite an aggressive plan!

With this amount of self improvement consciousness, is it any surprise that he would eventually become a legendary figure in U.S. history?

Having learned all of this additional information about this incredible man, I have made the decision to make Benjamin Franklin one of my mentors/guides to personal development and self growth.  Wouldn’t the world would be a much better place if we all did the same?

Thanks Ben,
- Scott

Related posts:

1. Self Improvement Plan – Week 3
2. Self Improvement Plan – Week 1