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Becoming An Outstanding Person | Silence - Week 2 of 12 |

Posted By Alex Shalman On March 6, 2007 @ 12:00 pm In Goal Setting, Personal Development | 15 Comments

This article is part of the [1] How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks series. The twelve weeks will allow you to tap into your hidden potential and become a productive power house like the infamous “first American”, Benjamin Franklin.

While I believe that anyone and everyone could accomplish “outstanding” status, I also believe that it takes dedication and elbow grease. I present you with a step-by-step guide to accomplishing this goal, just dig in and [2] start now.

The way the excel journals function is that I work on one virtue per week, concentrating all my efforts on the task as hand, while recording the slip ups in the other virtues as they progress naturally. I won’t comment on the slip ups until that specific virtue gets its week.

Silence (Week 2 of 12)

Silence

My progress with Silence.

Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. This virtue is particularly important because it eliminates hours of wasted time, in the form of gossip and pointless conversation.

In order to stay away from gossip I found myself asking myself “what is my intention”. This is something I picked up from a friend. In order to stay focused he put signs on most of the walls in his house that read “what is my intention”. While I did not make signs, I used this technique before contacting or responding to a person and often while in the middle of conversations.

This virtue enabled me to be more direct and get to the point of a conversation, without being side tracked. It wasn’t too hard to implement when you focused your attention on it for a week. The payoff is truly great. I feel like that by not participating in such negative conversations I was able to, in a way, rid my world of these things. Out of sight, out of mind.

What silence does not mean is avoiding all leisurely conversations, that could serve as entertainment or support for someone. If it benefits others or yourself, it’s still worth talking about.

Becoming Outstanding Series

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URL to article: http://www.alexshalman.com/2007/03/06/becoming-an-outstanding-person-silence-week-2-of-12/

URLs in this post:
[1] How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/02/08/how-to-become-an-outstanding-person-in-twelve-weeks/
[2] start now: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/01/10/now-the-time-to-start/
[3] Temperance: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/02/27/becoming-an-outstanding-person-temperance-week-1-of-12/
[4] Silence: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/03/06/becoming-an-outstanding-person-silence-week-2-of-12/
[5] Order: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/03/13/becoming-an-outstanding-person-order-week-3-of-12/
[6] Resolution: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/03/20/becoming-an-outstanding-person-resolution-week-4-of-12/
[7] Frugality: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/03/27/becoming-an-outstanding-person-frugality-week-5-of-12/
[8] Industry: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/04/03/becoming-an-outstanding-person-industry-week-6-of-12/
[9] Sincerity: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/04/10/becoming-an-outstanding-person-sincerity-week-7-of-12/
[10] Justice: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/04/17/becoming-an-outstanding-person-justice-week-8-of-12/
[11] Moderation: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/04/26/becoming-an-outstanding-person-moderation-week-9-of-12/
[12] Cleanliness: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/05/03/becoming-an-outstanding-person-cleanliness-week-10-of-12/
[13] Tranquility: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/05/08/becoming-an-outstanding-person-tranquility-week-11-of-12/
[14] Chastity: http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/2007/05/17/becoming-an-outstanding-person-chastity-week-12-of-12/