My Year of Virtue

Virtue is ethical behavior. It encompasses a wide array of very nice things like honesty, compassion, temperance, and so on. I think I'm mostly a good person, but I'd like to be better... I disappoint myself all the time. I decided to give attention to virtue this year, and see how I might improve my virtuousness.

I ran across Ben Franklin's system for virtue improvement. Ben devised a small chart that he carried with himself, to record his behavior day-to-day in 13 areas. If you do a Google search you will see that MANY people are interested in Ben's system! You can buy journals and download charts if you want, but I know I won't be happy unless I personalize mine.

Agenda:
1. Create a virtue chart
2. Make visual reminders
3. Daily review

1. Create a virtue chart:
I knew I couldn't start out with 13 virtues and expect any kind of improvement, so I began with one, and have added one each week. I'm up to four virtues now, and I do see growth, but it's patchy.

What I found most interesting about Ben's chart is that he asked his friends for ideas about what virtues he needed to work on. I don't feel compelled to work on all the same virtues as Ben, so I will collect my own list. 

I did start out with some of Ben's virtues, though. I found it important to put the definition of each virtue in my own words. Here's what I've got so far, in Ben's words and my own:

1. Silence. 

Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; listen to understand and gain in knowledge; think before speaking, and avoid petty and malicious conversation.

No gossip, no negative comments about people, no long-winded stories that bore people. Use "You could be right" when I disagree.

2. Resolve.

Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 

Set realistic daily resolutions, then keep these promises to myself! Keep up with housework. Exercise and create everyday.

3. Order.

Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 

Use Pomodora timer to stay on task, take breaks, and transition quickly to the next activity. Put each thing away immediately when I finish with it. Simplify, and create better order in house; also, create order in my reasoning.

4. Temperance.

Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. 

Eat moderately and stop when I'm full. Use restraint with sugar; also with TV and games and anything that I use to dull my senses.

2. Make visual reminders:

Each week I've made some kind of a sign to remind myself to be virtuous. My Resolve sign is on my mantle where I see it every day. 

I move my Order sign to the most disordered spots!

This week, I just stuck a note on the back of my phone that says "Temperance".


3. Daily review:

Each morning I think back on the day before and evaluate myself. Ben used a dot to indicate success. I use a star. Also, I use a frowny face when I know I blew it.

I don't spend a lot of time on this- it's easy to think back and say, "Oh yeah. I said that mean thing. (frown) But I didn't take a second cookie! (star)