One Percent | The Royal Texan

One percent. One measly little percent. I know that may not sound like much but what if it were compounded daily? Would that be a good investment? I would think so. So would the bank. What about self-improvement then? Can that apply to that? Can someone strive and actually improve just 1% every day? What would that look like?

Naturally, it depends on the person, their situation, their goals, and it’s going to fall into one of many areas. Off the top of my head I can think of physical, financial, spiritual, mental, and emotional. Personally, I want to improve in all those areas. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a huge proponent of that as well.

When most people think of Ben Franklin, they don’t usually think of an athlete. However, Franklin was an early proponent of physical fitness. In an age when few people knew how to swim, Franklin taught himself how to swim. He was an avid swimmer all his life and even contemplated becoming a full-time swim instructor. Benjamin Franklin is the only founding father in the Swimming Hall of Fame.

During his first trip to England, Franklin found work in a print shop where most of the apprentices and journeymen spent much of their time getting drunk. Franklin knew that the mind and body was much more productive when it was not impaired by alcohol. Instead of drinking beer, Franklin decided to drink water and encouraged his co-workers to follow his lead. Although he wasn’t successful at convincing all his colleagues to change their ways, Franklin’s clear-headed work and productive physical strength (most printers would carry a single tray of heavy lead type; Franklin was known for usually carrying two trays) were recognized, and he was promoted.

As a youth, Franklin didn’t always behave responsibly. At the age of 20, he decided to change the direction of his life by embarking on a course of what he called “moral perfection”. He created a list of resolutions to follow. He decided that he would be very honest and sincere “in every word and action”.He promised himself to be industrious “to whatever business I take in hand”. Lastly he vowed “to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a manner of truth “,and to “speak all the good I know of everybody”.

Out of these resolutions, Franklin came up with a set of thirteen virtues, which he practiced methodically. He wrote each of the virtues down in a book and practiced one of the virtues for a week, trying to perfect it. At the end of the week, he would evaluate his performance. At the end of thirteen weeks, he would start back on the first virtue again.

Centuries before it became fashionable, Ben Franklin somehow understood the importance of a “holistic approach” to the self. His self-styled methods of personal improvement made an important connection between mind, body, and spirit.

Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting that someone adopt his methods of journaling all thirteen of his values but I think his approach of developing all areas at once is a good approach. It’s similar to the way a body builder doesn’t just focus on their legs or only a single part of the body. They strengthen all areas.

For me, even writing this is an attempt to improve my writing skills. It is a part of the way I challenge myself mentally every day.
So, dare to improve just one percent every day. Let’s see where you are in six months. Better yet, let’s see where you are in a year.

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