{"id":507,"date":"2012-05-03T14:40:52","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T05:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/?p=507"},"modified":"2012-05-03T14:41:09","modified_gmt":"2012-05-03T05:41:09","slug":"14-lessons-from-benjamin-franklin-about-getting-what-you-want-in-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/14-lessons-from-benjamin-franklin-about-getting-what-you-want-in-life\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin About Getting What You Want In Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his  curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interests. He was a  writer (often using a pseudonym), publisher, diplomat, inventor and one  of the Founding Fathers of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>His inventions  included the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. Franklin  was responsible for establishing the first public library, organizing  fire fighters in Philadelphia, was one of the early supporters of mutual  insurance and crossed the Atlantic eight times. Self-development was a  constant endeavor throughout his incredible life.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Benjamin Franklin was clearly a man who knew how to get things done.<\/p>\n<p>Here are 14 action-inducing lessons from him:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Less Talk, More Action <\/strong>\u201cWell done is better than well said.\u201d<br \/>\nTalk  is cheap. Talking about a project won&#8217;t get it completed. We all know  people who constantly talk about the things they are going to do but  rarely ever take that first step. Eventually people begin to question  their credibility. Taking action and seeing the task through to  completion is the only way to get the job done.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t Procrastinate <\/strong>\u201cNever leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.\u201d<br \/>\nThis  is probably one of the first quotes I remember hearing as a teenager.  With an impressive list of achievements to his credit, Benjamin Franklin  was not a man hung up on procrastination. He was a man with clear  measurable goals who worked hard to turn his vision into reality. What  are you putting off till tomorrow that could make a difference in your  life today?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Be Prepared<\/strong>\u201cBy failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.\u201d<br \/>\nYou  need a plan to accomplish your goals. Charging in without giving any  thought to the end result and how to achieve it, is a sure way to fall  flat on your face. Think like a boy scout. Have a realistic plan of  attack and a systematic approach for getting where you need to be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t Fight Change <\/strong>\u201cWhen you&#8217;re finished changing, you&#8217;re finished.\u201d<br \/>\nWhilst  many of us don\u2019t like change, others thrive on it. Either way change is  inevitable. The stronger we fight against it, the more time and energy  it consumes. Give up the fight. Focus on proactively making positive  changes, instead of having change merely thrust upon you. Wherever  possible, try to view change as a positive instead of a negative.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get Moving <\/strong>\u201cAll mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.\u201d<br \/>\nThere\u2019s  a reason we use the expression, movers and shakers. Movers are the ones  who take action, the people who get things done, while the immovable  are sitting around scratching their heads wondering how others could  possibly be so successful. Which group do you want to belong to?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Avoid Busywork <\/strong>\u201cNever confuse motion with action.\u201d<br \/>\nWe  are always running around doing things. We rush from one meeting or  event to the next, sometimes without achieving a great deal. At the end  of the day, how much of our busywork are we proud of? How much of that  running around improves anyone\u2019s life (including ours) for the better?  Make your motion mean something.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes <\/strong>\u201cDo not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.\u201d<br \/>\nIf  we fear making mistakes, we become scared to try new things. Fear  leaves us nestled in our comfort zone. Staying in your comfort zone  rarely leads to greatness. Taking risks and giving yourself permission  to make mistakes, will ultimately lead you to whatever your version of  success may be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Act Quickly on Opportunities <\/strong>\u201cTo succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.\u201d<br \/>\nOpportunities  are everywhere. The trick is being quick enough and smart enough to  seize them when they arise. Instead of jumping to the conclusion that  something won\u2019t work or can\u2019t be done, allow yourself the freedom to ask  what if?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Continue to Grow <\/strong>\u201cBe at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.\u201d<br \/>\nWe  all have vices of some description. The key is to keep them under  control or preferably eradicate them entirely. Be kind to those around  you, whether they are neighbors, family, co-workers or friends. Never  accept that you have finished growing as a person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep Going <\/strong>\u201cDiligence is the mother of good luck.\u201d<br \/>\nHave  you ever looked at a successful entrepreneur or business person and  thought how lucky they are? Most of the time, luck has nothing to do  with it. Hard work and sacrifice on the other hand have everything to do  with it. Successful people deal with failure. They tackle their demons  head on. They pick themselves up and keep going.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Know Yourself <\/strong>\u201cThere are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one&#8217;s self.\u201d<br \/>\nUnderstanding  ourselves is not easy. Sometimes we just don\u2019t want to see ourselves  for who we really are. It\u2019s much easier to hold onto a romanticized  version of ourselves or to simply view ourselves through other people\u2019s  eyes. Start by being brutally honest with yourself. Follow through with  understanding, compassion and acceptance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t Self-Sabotage <\/strong>\u201cWho had deceived thee so often as thyself?\u201d<br \/>\nWe  spend so much time worrying about other people hurting us, yet fail to  comprehend the damage we inflict on ourselves. If you are using negative  self-talk, lying to yourself or indulging in addictive behavior you are  self-sabotaging. Life can dish up enough challenges without us adding  to the mix. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself like you would a best  friend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t Give Up <\/strong>\u201cEnergy and persistence conquer all things.\u201d<br \/>\nAchieving  our goals can be downright exhausting. There will be days when you want  to give up. There will be times when your energy levels flatline and  you wonder why you bother getting out of bed. Yet you push forward, day  after day because you believe in yourself and you have the determination  and strength to back up that belief.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wise Up <\/strong>\u201cLife&#8217;s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.\u201d<br \/>\nBenjamin  was definitely onto something with this one. Who hasn\u2019t had the thought  &#8211; I wish I could know then, what I know now? Unfortunately there is no  time machine; there is no going back. The key is to wise up as early as  you can to start forging a life of purpose, achievement and happiness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interests. He was a writer (often using a pseudonym), publisher, diplomat, inventor and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His inventions included the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. Franklin was responsible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[225,226],"class_list":["post-507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-just-blogging","tag-14-lessons-to-get-work-done","tag-getting-what-you-want-in-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":510,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions\/510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.santoshkori.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}