Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #236

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN

Benjamin Franklin that is. Join me in celebrating his birthday this week — January 17.

Although Ben was born in 1706, his thinking and accomplishments are as inspired and inspiring a decade into the 21^st Century as they were before the American Revolution was being contemplated.

School daze: Impressive though it is, the Ben-as-a-Founding-Father lessons we were exposed to in the required history classes of our youth are a mere shadow of all he accomplished in his time and the lasting legacy he left.

And in the limited space of this TGIM I couldn’t begin to do them justice.

But that won’t stop me from sharing some highlights and looking for some TGIM Takeaways.

Let’s start with this: We can all recall Franklin was an inventor and improver of existing inventions – bifocals, the lightening rod, a battery, the practical Franklin stove, and an odometer for establishing the most efficient postal routes.

He played the violin, harp and guitar; composed music and, to less acclaim, invented a musical instrument. He also created a phonetic alphabet.

He experimented with electricity, made unprecedented discoveries in the natural world and contributed much more to many sciences.

He organized and inspired others, in the process creating a networking self-improvement group, volunteer fire departments, America’s first subscription library, civic leadership groups, scientific societies and insurance concerns.

But it wasn’t all business with Ben. Not by any means. He’s the first chess player known by name in the American colonies. He championed swimming when few knew how and invented a type of swim fins (for the hands) to make each stroke more efficient.

But, IMHO, his best invention is seldom considered.

Benjamin Franklin invented himself. And in doing so he invented the “modern” American and set the standard for all of us even 300+ years after his birth.

Thumbnail early biography: Ben was the fifteenth of 17 children born to a poor Puritan candle maker/soap maker in Boston. At age 10, with virtually no formal education, he was put to work with his father. At 12 he was apprenticed to his brother, a printer. At 17 he ran away from Boston to Philadelphia and became the creator and personification of the American Dream.

If you’re interested in self-improvement, Ben’s THE man. He practically invented it as it’s practiced these days. And if you’re interested in business and wealth building, being “all about the Benjamins” is being all about THE Benjamin; he’s the guy who popularized so many of the maxims we quote today.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Ben taught himself by reading. He was a voracious reader. And, fortunately, he was a damn good writer in his eighteenth century way. So read what he wrote.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Start with the two-page essay Advice to a Young Tradesman where he offers wisdom that, if followed, would have prevented the entire recent financial debacle.

Try The Way to Wealth aka Father Abraham’s Speech which is a narrative version of many of the Poor Richard maxims. It won’t be hard to find. Before the end of the eighteenth century The Way to Wealth was reprinted at least 145 times in seven different languages.

And, of course: Read (and own) Franklin’s Autobiography. It conveys his legacy as he intended others to see it with actionable what-to-do and how-to-do-it ideas.

OK, class. You have your reading assignments. Now, for today’s classroom lesson I’m handing out Ben’s 13-point plan for how he would live his life.

Be like Ben: He put together this list and plan when he was 20. It was so successful that he stuck to it and continued to practice it in some form for the rest of his life. He would focus on one point each week — “leaving all others to their ordinary chance” — and so would cycle through the whole set four times per year. He kept track of his progress with a chart on which he would put a red dot for each fault against each virtue committed that day.

In his own words: This is the set of values he says he set for himself in 1726 (plus his added commentary).

Thirteen Virtues

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

1. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

1. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

1. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

1. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

1. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

1. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

1. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

1. MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

1. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

1. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

1. 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.

1. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Like the George Washington fable, Ben couldn’t tell or live a lie either. Delve deep enough into Ben’s biography and you’ll easily discover he didn’t live completely by his virtues. In fact, by his own admission, he fell short of them many times. Still, he believed the attempt made him a better man contributing greatly to his success and happiness.

Celebrate Ben’s birthday this year. Contribute to your own success and happiness. We can do it by honoring his autobiographical wish concerning the Thirteen Virtues which was: “I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.”

Will do, Ben. This week I’m going to reap humbly.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “The doors of wisdom are never shut.” No need to tell you who said that.

P.P.S. If your plan at this juncture is to make 2010 Your Best Year Ever, it probably makes sense to investigate the many useful secrets and strategies for creating the future of your dreams in the Best Year Ever Program. You can find out more HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

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