It would appear that Benjamin Franklin thought so, and when establishing a successful daily plan of our own, we could learn a lot from this great American achiever.
Benjamin Franklin, inventor, statesman, writer, publisher and economist relates in his autobiography that early in his life he decided to focus on arriving at moral perfection. To this end he made a list of 13 virtues, assigning a page to each. Under each virtue he wrote a summary that gave it fuller meaning. Then he practiced each one for a certain length of time.
To make these virtues a habit, Franklin came up with a method to grade himself against his daily actions. In a journal he drew a table with a row for every virtue and a column for every day of the week. Every time he made a fault, he made a mark in the appropriate column. Each week he focused his attention on a different virtue. Franklin carried out this personal examination for years, focusing on one virtue at a time. With a strict daily routine that started at 5 in the morning and went on until 10.30 at night, he hoped with time, focus and repetition to one day experience the pleasure of “viewing a clean book”.
Franklin’s extraordinary success in life and politics can be attributed to his perseverance to overcome his personal liabilities, and his desire to constantly become better. So next time you really want to achieve something, why not take a leaf out of his book, and take some time to focus on your own personal journal. What is your temptation? Is it standing in your way to greatness? What can you do to form the habits that lead to success?
If you’ve got this covered then well done you, but if not, then utilising the services of a coach is an excellent way to get you thinking, focussed and achieving.
To find out more about what coaching could do for you in the pursuit of your goals why not contact MGL today for a free, no obligation 15 minute exploratory chat.
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With specific expertise in sales, customer management and leadership MGL is a learning & development business that promotes a transformational approach to personal growth. By providing bespoke solutions that focus on the specific needs, wants and goals of an organisation, MGL takes time to create learning environments that enable people to lead the way to change, rather than being led.
MGL’s founder Meryl Gilbert is an experienced business leader, MBTI Practitioner, developmental coach and trainer who works from the premise that with the right focus, motivation and support, people and the businesses they work for are capable of significant change.
