What I Learned From Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin made my life better – and I’m not talking about the 100 dollar bill. I fell into a pit my sophomore year. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, my grades dropped and my relationship with my family was falling apart. It wasn’t until I read a chapter in Benjamin Franklin’s memoir that I found a way to stabilize myself. Franklin identified specific character traits he wanted to change. For example, He would tally every time he was greedy or envious. This helped him be more aware of his actions and over time, the amount of tallies decreased. I reached a point where i felt constricted with my life style, so I started my own list. I identified long and short term goals that I wanted to accomplish, and methods for achieving them. After several months and 60 pages later, I got better at thinking before I spoke, I was nicer to my family, and I even quit smoking. This exercise allowed me to find myself. I learned that I can fix my problems on my own and if there is something I don’t like about myself, it is up to me to change it.