7 Life Lessons from Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America (USA). A famous polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire department in Pennsylvania.
His colorful life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honored on coinage and money; warships; the names of many towns, counties, educational institutions, namesakes, and companies; and more than two centuries after his death, countless cultural references.
7 Must-Read Life Lessons from Benjamin Franklin:
- Waste Not
"Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of."
Your time is your life. If you waste your time, you are wasting your life. I've never met a successful person who didn't value their time, and I've never met an unsuccessful person who did.
Don't let other people waste your time either, why is it when someone wants to "kill an hour," they want to kill your hour as well? Protect your time, it can never be replaced, it can never be replenished, your time is your life.
- Learn
"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn."
Benjamin Franklin said, "He that won't be counseled can't be helped." Always be open to learning. You can learn from anyone, and from any situation. You can learn from the fool as well as the genius. Bruce Lee said, "A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer."
- Make Mistakes
"Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out."
Success comes from doing things "right," and doing things right is usually the result of first doing things wrong. You are certain to make mistakes; the path to success is lined with mistakes and failures, just keep moving. Successful people make a lot of mistakes, but they don't quit, they keep moving until they arrive to their goal.
- Energy and Persistence
"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
To have energy and persistence you must have passion, their must be an inner vision that drives you to achieve your goal.
If you don't have a clear picture of where you're going, then you don't have the energy or persistence to make any noteworthy progress. You must be driven by a picture that is bigger than your current reality.
- Prepare
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
It's better to not have an opportunity and be prepared, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. Success loves preparation, are you prepared?
If the perfect opportunity presented itself, would you be ready for it? Spend your days preparing for success, so when your opportunity comes, you will be ready.
- Be Diligent
"Diligence is the mother of good luck."
Solomon wrote, the diligent shall be made rich. If you want to be lucky, be diligent, the more diligent you are, the luckier you will be. Everyone has the ability to increase their luck seven fold by becoming more diligent.
Create the habit of being diligent in all you do, and you will be surprised at how lucky you become.
- Make an Impression
"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
Benjamin Franklin said, "Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five." I hope you're not dead, I hope you haven't achieved all that you're going to achieve; I hope your best days are in front of you. I think they are.
