Introduction

I am very eager to begin exploring my virtues, and improving my moral compass. These past few months I have been struggling to find my footing, and approaching life with little to no thought. For these next two weeks, I will address my most prominent flaws, and attempt to tidy them up a bit. This, to some, may just be a measly AP Language assignment, but to me, this is an opportunity to clean up my life. Benjamin Franklin has appeared in my history textbooks since second grade, and honestly for many years I would yawn at the mention of his name. This project has given me the opportunity to use his tactics to better my own well being. No longer will Ben Franklin be restricted to my AP US History class. Franklin is now my mentor of morality, guiding me to live a life of near perfection.

For my five virtues, I have chosen Cleanliness, Silence, Order, Appreciation, and Bliss. To me, cleanliness is the most important of the five. This year I have let cleanliness take the metaphorical “back seat”. My room is always in shambles, my car has piles of clothes in the back, and my bathroom has hundreds of empty contact cases on the counter. Waking up to a visual disaster is a wonderful way to encourage a disaster of a day.  For these next two weeks, I will clean my room and car every two days, in order to keep my life clean and tidy. Silence is also very important to me, and something that I haven’t really seeked out this year. My life is one filled with extra- curriculars, and oftentimes I won’t get home until about 10 pm. This means a lot of noise, and very little quiet. Deep down, I am an introvert, who needs alone time in order to enjoy life. In order to preserve some quiet time for myself, I will start using my mornings as a way to do that. The time I use to brush my teeth and get ready for school will also be my time to enjoy some peace in my chaotic life. Due to the natural business of my daily life, I often find myself to be unorganized, and in a state of disarray. My math worksheets can currently be found in my english folder, and my planner was last added to in August. In order to improve my own morality, I must change these life habits. To do that, I will start adding to my planner daily, and making sure I stay on top of my activities and assignments. My life is one filled with reasons to be grateful, and reasons to feel lucky and blessed. I believe that I haven’t done enough to show my appreciation for these things. I need to start taking the time to notice my blessings, and to be thankful for them. From today on, I will practice appreciating my life, and taking the time to say “thank you”. Finally, I want to work on being blissful. I can’t remember a time this year when I felt completely happy. I am always thinking about the next thing that brings my stress and sadness. Enjoying the little things in life will allow me to become a happier person overall. 

This project will be so beneficial to me and my life. I need to start holding myself more accountable for my own happiness, and by using Franklin’s strategies, I believe I can do this. At the end of these next two weeks, I will be a cleaner, more organized, more thankful, happier, and more peaceful human being. It may be a challenge to remember all of these things, but the payoff will be much worth the hard work. I will be posting short daily updates on how my journey is going. This will play a part in holding myself accountable, and aid me in staying true to my virtues. I could not be more thrilled to see how this goes, and to become a better human being.