By Jean De-Witt
Benjamin Franklin had a wonderful question that he started each day
with, "What good shall I do today?" He posed this question to himself
and to God every morning because he held the philosophy that "the best
service to God, is doing good to man." So every day he held fast to this
altruistic ideal as his cornerstone.
He once gave an overview of his daily routine with these words: "I
rose at five each morning, and addressed Powerful Goodness [Ben's name for God]
with the same daily question: What good shall I do today? I then studied and
planned my day until eight, worked until twelve, dined and overlooked my
account books until two, worked again until six when I had supper, music and
conversation. At ten I examined my day. What good had I done that day?"
When I look at Ben's daily regime it causes me to look at my own and
pose some questions to myself. After all, Benjamin Franklin had a life that
anyone would admire-he had an incredible sphere of influence and did much good
for many people. I'd like to give it my best shot to duplicate some of that,
and I'm not above imitating and learning from a master!
Since I always find it easier to make "lists" out of
everything, I'm breaking down Ben's schedule into a numbered list. Then I'm
going to go through the list item by item to see where I could improve or make
adjustments. I'm also going to give each item a 10-point value and score myself
(a little quiz of sorts). Why don't you join me and take the quiz too?
1) Rise early
2) Address God
3) Ask God, "What good shall I do today?"
4) Study and plan my day (till eight am)
5) Work four hours (benefit others)
6) Dine (noon)
7) Overlook my accounts (until two pm)
8) Work four hours (benefit others)
9) Supper, music and conversation (four hours)
10) Examine my day and reflect "what good had I done that day?"
2) Address God
3) Ask God, "What good shall I do today?"
4) Study and plan my day (till eight am)
5) Work four hours (benefit others)
6) Dine (noon)
7) Overlook my accounts (until two pm)
8) Work four hours (benefit others)
9) Supper, music and conversation (four hours)
10) Examine my day and reflect "what good had I done that day?"
Okay, obviously there will be variables on this stuff. For one thing I
really don't have "accounts" that I need to overlook each day and you
probably don't either. I also don't think that the relaxation window from 6-10
pm is filled with the same things Ben had. After all, we live in the age of
technology, so those hours for us are probably filled with TV and the Internet,
as well as other things. Still, I think we can gain from making some of his
disciplines our own disciplines, and although life was quite different when Ben
lived (1706-1790), the basics were still the same.
So how did you score? Mine was a bleak sixty points, and I've already
decided to create a new schedule for myself and post it on my fridge, computer,
and desk. I really feel inspired by this little exercise-so much so that I'm
holding myself accountable to take this new approach for one month and see
where it leads me. So what if it's the 21st century, and so what if I'm no Ben
Franklin-hope springs fresh each and every day to do better and be better, so
"what good shall I do today?"
_______________________________
Art By / Words By is the place to go for a 5-minute retreat from your
busy life. It highlights the artwork of gifted contemporary artists by putting
poetry with them (that's poetry expressly written to go with them). So if you
"need a moment," visit http://artbywordsby.wordpress.com
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