Fun Friday–Happy New Year!
I’m back—finally!!! I couldn’t let the beginning of 2009 go by without any notice, so today, I’m offering a little advice from none other than American Statesman Benjamin Franklin that is as true now as when he wrote it more than two hundred years ago.
Next week, I’ll be blogging about goal setting—trying to explain how I go about setting my short- and long-term goals, since so many have asked for advice on that—as well as posting my 2009 goals lists. But for now, I hope you’ll find Mr. Franklin’s words, from his autobiography, as thought provoking and inspiring as I have as I think about what I want to accomplish in 2009.
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In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition. I propos’d to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annex’d to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurr’d to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully express’d the extent I gave to its meaning.
The names of virtues, with their precepts, were:
1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; 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 employ’d 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 extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. 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.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
[Copied from Benjamin Franklin, His Autobiography as printed in the Harvard Classics, First Edition, copyright 1909 by P.F. Collier & Son, pp 78-80.]
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KayeDacus.com 
Hmmm, exactly how often can one use venery in their lives if it is “for health”????
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Yes, I thought that one was rather interesting advice myself.
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