How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks

Wanting to become an outstanding person does not guarantee success. In fact, having the motivation and desire to become outstanding does not guarantee you anything. Sounds a little pessimistic? Read on, as I explain what will make you an outstanding person, in twelve weeks time.

Let me begin by telling you what I consider to be outstanding. It is not a measure of success, wealth or popularity among your peers. Outstanding is a measure of a person’s character. Character can be both good and bad, but everyone knows just how to achieve the former so we will explore the latter in more detail.

Virtue as defined by Wikipedia:

Virtue is moral excellence of a person. A virtue is a character trait valued as being good. It is “habitual excellence”. It is something practiced at all times. The virtue of perseverance is needed for all and any virtue since it is a habit of character and must be used continuously in order for any person to maintain oneself in virtue.

Now we are clear that virtue is the core of your personal development to become an outstanding person and provides the foundation for your success. Benjamin Franklin created an excellent easy to follow system for achieving the moral standard that you set for yourself. But first, here are his twelve virtues.

Benjamin Franklin’s Twelve Virtues

  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 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; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, 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.

Benjamin Franklin’s system was based on the principle of replacing old-bad habits with new-good habits. The key word being habits. When motivation and desire fade away or take a leave of absence our habits automate us in a preprogrammed direction. The question is are you programmed for success or failure? Allow me to steer you in the right direction.

Temperance

This is my excel replica of Benjamin Franklin’s journal page as per his autobiography, which I previously mentioned in my money management article.

So here’s the system. In your journal mark up twelve pages with one virtue heading each page. Each week you concentrate on following one virtue, while allowing the rest to take their natural course. Record all the times you stray from a virtue, for each virtue, on a daily basis. The idea is that if you can stick to a virtue for one week you will have forged a habit and it will be your virtue to keep. Follow up each consecutive week with a new virtue until you go through the list. If at the end you feel a little shaky about having committed all these virtues to habit than repeat the entire list, it’s worth it.

Remember, the only way to get any use out of this guide is if you start, now.This post is the beginning of a series of self improvement exercises. Below is a list that I will be updating weekly until the self improvement exercises are complete. You can think of it as gaining domestic discipline and branching out into the world.

Becoming Outstanding Series

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Posted by in Communication, Goal Setting, Personal Development | February 8, 2007 | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Print | 45 comments

  • wetawet

    Ben Franklin later admitted that following these principles to the letter was impossible.

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Great comment wetawet.

    Benjamin Franklin said he had a problem with one thing on the list. Order gave him some trouble because he spend many years out to see. This may it difficult to let business have it’s time during the day as he had no way to rapidly communicate with his employees on a daily basis.

    I believe that current technology has solved this problem as you can maintain most businesses from anywhere on the planet via phone or internet.

    Different people will see different degrees of success with this method. I also believe that Benjamin Franklin was being modest. Instead of saying that he reached an stunning level of success he said..”ehh I tried my best… couldn’t perfect order, that really bothered me, oh well, no one is perfect”. Easier to take advice from someone that is human instead of a virtue machine.

    Come back soon wetawet.

  • http://zurabeth.com beth

    I think I missed something. What are the letters down the left column?

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Hi beth, thanks for taking action and asking for clarification. The letters on the left represent the 12 virtues that I mentioned in my post. Temperance, silence, order, etc. The reason temperance is also written across the top is because you make a similar graph each week for each virtue. That happened to be the temperance week, but you still record significant events about the other virtues by marking them off in the appropriate row.

    Thank you for visiting.

  • Scott

    Great plan…

    Franklin gives us a great model for cultivating character and wisdom.

    There is an important virtue missing in your listing.

    13. _Humility_ Imitate Jesus and Socrates

    Franklin had a system mapped out where he would focus on one of the Thirteen Virtues each week, four times a year, in tune with the seasons. A bit obsessive, but made much easier when helped with real-time, intelligent modern technology, instead of a journal, the best available medium to Franklin.

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Scott, thanks for adding to this post and I’m glad you noticed that I left out 13. Humility.

    I did this specifically due to its religious connotation in order to keep in more neutral to the general public. I’ll do a follow up post about the Socratic method in the future to add to this article.

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  • http://misterethoughts.tripod.com Leon

    Hey! Wow, what a great web site. Great list, I’m going to try it. Hey, Alex! I was wondering if you and I could speak sometime. It would be great, if we can do it over the email or yahoo,msn or even aim messenger. Would that be possible?Thanks!

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  • http://bwoods.wordpress.com Bradley Woods

    This is such a great idea Alex! I first read of this in Frank Bettger’s How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling. I have since read Franklin’s Autobiography. I did this for a year maybe 2 years ago and I had great results. I experimented with changing the virtues around too. But any ways. Great idea and it is sure to have a positive impact on your readers. Make it a great day!

  • http://bwoods.wordpress.com Bradley Woods

    I’m also curious why you left out humility….

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Thanks for contributing to the conversation Bradley. I’m glad you experienced a positive impact. I’m curious to know how you altered the virtues, so feel free to share.

    As stated above, I left out humility in an attempt to stay neutral as I believe it has religious connotations.

  • http://bwoods.wordpress.com Bradley Woods

    I had a couple different things that I tried. I switched virtues in and out after the first year. I also tried implementing Napoleon Hill’s 17 principles using this method but was not successful.

    I dont think humility has a religous connotation. And even if it does, so what. Its really important to achieving lasting success…

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Once I finish this cycle I will consider adding bonus features to the end of it. I’ll take your recommendation into account.

  • http://bwoods.wordpress.com Bradley Woods

    Wish you all the best with your assured growth. Make it a great day!

  • Scott

    The thirteenth virtue was excluded, and you say it was for its religious ramifications.

    In fact, there would be no religion of Christianity, and Jesus might have lived to a ripe old age with his grandchildren, if he actually adhered to the virtue of Humility.

    Humility is tough to maintain, especially when your goal is excellence. It is an important virtue, though, and taking it out of Franklin’s 13 Virtues and pretending there are only 12 is not being Humble. It is arrogance, which is the opposite of Humility.

  • http://www.alexshalman.com Alex Shalman

    Thanks for your opinion Scott. I’ll give more consideration to virtue 13 since I’m getting so much feedback about it.

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  • http://www.mayankrocks.com Mayank Rocks

    Good Post. Thanks

  • http://www.mayankrocks.com Mayank Rocks

    12 Weeks are still fine :p
    Dont add 1 more :D

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  • http://www.beautifulscraps.com Beautiful Scraps

    Yeah.. I was an outstanding student in my class meaning always standing outside the class ;-)

  • Thil

    ok here we go…. 1st week of the 12….vl let u knw the results…. thanks!

  • http://evolvingventures.com Richard Whisenhunt

    I considered removing Humility from my list as well, but I finally decided to leave it in. I interpret humility as putting others first.

    I ended up replacing Justice with Health (Respect your body and strive to improve it) and Chastity with Dependability (Honor your commitments. Be punctual) in an effort to address two things I’m trying to improve that weren’t exactly covered by Franklin’s 13 virtues.