quarta-feira, 31 de março de 2010

wizard book 6 text 29

humility
perhaps one of the most difficult virtues to accomplish, humility was added to Benjamin Franklin's list as an afterthought. upon showing his list of virtues to a friend, franklin's attention was called to the fact that he was indeed a very proud man and thus he decided to add humility to his list. he struggled with this virtue and often joked that even if he could conceive that he had completely overcome it, he would probably be proud of his humility.

humility is a characteristic that is given to someone that is considered to be humble or modest. being humble is not necessarily giving up pride of one's accomplishments and self-worth, but rather presenting it without arrogance and conceit. humility is a quiet confidence, without boasting or showing off.

a humble person is open-minded and always willing to learn. rather than being defensive and overbearing when discussing ideas with others, a humble person listens to others' ideas and criticisms and learns from them. successful leaders are often very humble people, because in order to be successful, one must be willing to learn from everyone around them.

wizard book 6 text 27

conservation
there's nothing more polimic than conservation nowadays. the preservation and careful management of environmental and natural resources is probably on of the main concerns of human beings.

we've been facing a severe change in the planet's climate. the global phenomenon known as the warming of the Earth's atmosphere, today, has become an observable reality. it's the consequence of what we call progress.

when franklin wrote the thirteen virtues which he considered to be universal, he wisely included conservation in order to waste nothing. maybe he had foreseen the catastrophe that the lack of conservation could cause.

taking into consideration that virtues can be built by rationality or by custom, a great variety of virtues will be found. all this variety has been abstracted from thousands of years of observation, and from these observations, moral rules were created to standardize behaviour.

more than individual virtues are necessary to lead people to good and happy lives.

People live in communities, so civic virtues and citizenship are also requirements for living well. Nowadays, as future citizens, children are taught principals of conservation. Hopefully, it's not too late.

wizard book 6 text 25

tranquility
Benjamin Franklin's 12th virtue - tranquility - is a virtue that is based on being at peace within. He explained this virtue as not being "disturbed at trifles or at accidents common or unavoidable."

Life is full of turmoil and obstacles that are constantly thrown in one's way. Trials are inevitable as well as important to one's personal growth. Even though people must confront problems, this does not impede one from leading a tranquil life. What will constitute whether one's life is tranquil or not, depends on how the individual reacts to and deals with these unavoidable obstacles.

Many people, when faced with unpleasant situations or trials, get stressed out or upset. During conflict, some people choose to yell and say derogatory remarks. Not only does this not solve the problem, but it also creates even more tension. On learning how to react with more calmness, one will avoid unecessary stress which can lead to health problems and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Franklin left the virtue of tranquility towards the end of the list with the intention of first perfecting the other 11 virtues. Once he had perfected these, he believed that tranquility would come naturally.

wizard book 6 text 23

cleanliness
cleanliness is a virtue regarded to your whole self.
Cleanliness is a great preservative of health. When you wash yourself regularly and wear clean clothes, you keep your body free of impurities, preventing yourself from getting diseases. Besides, you feel and smell fresh.

The same way you take care of your body, it is of great importance to watch out for your mental cleanliness. Words, thoughts and the faculty of reason are meant to be used for the good things. Differently from animals that simply act on instinct and do what gives them pleasure, human beings can distinguish right from wrong.
A mind filled with pure and positive thoughts keeps one feeling peaceful.

Cleanliness, one of the virtues considered uiniversal, is one of the ways to success. A man used to a clean environment tends to be clean and organized in all aspects. It is necessary to decency, it affords personal comfort and it is also one means to be accepted by society.
Without cleanliness, neither health nor respectability can be maintained for very long.

wizard book 6 text 21

moderation

anything in excess can be emotionally, physically or mentally unhealthy. This is why moderation made Franklin's list of virtues. Very closely related to temperance, moderation is keeping all things within reasonable limits and avoiding things in excess or extremes.

nowadays, it is very easy to let ourselves get out of control and use things excessively. Advertisements for products, commercials, media, peer groups, etc, all induce us to use or do things in extremes. The current trend is to use and do things in excess. However, if one does not use self control, it is easy to create addictions. Food, for exemple, has become not only a necessary staple to live, but for many, an addiction and a serious health problem.

moderation demands much discipline, self control and, of course, resolution. However, as presented with the virtue of resolution, as one puts moderation into practice, it eventually becomes habitual and thus easier to control using things in excess.

wizard book 6 text 19

Justice
Justice is so dependend on the idea of what a virtue is that it is important to understand the mening and the relation of these two words.
Virtue – considered the highway to success, it is not merely a self-control system used by an outstanding man, but a long persuit for perfection.
The definition of virtue is the moral excellence of a person. Virtue can either have normative or moral values. It's believed that virtues can be built by rationality and custom.
Justice is based on politics. According to some philosophies, it is the moderation between selfishness and selflessness.
There are three diferent kinds of justice:
INDIVIDUAL X INDIVIDUAL – commutative justice
INDIVIDUAL X SOCIETY – general justice or legal justice.
SOCIETY X INDIVIDUAL – distributive justice
The word justice comes from the latin “jus”, which means “right”.
A just man is one who habitually wills such a relation of equality.
Where there is a right, there's also a debt or obligation from the other part.
Justice is the virtue that perfects the will.

quinta-feira, 25 de março de 2010

wizard book 6 text 17

Sincerity

Sincerity is the virtue of speaking truly and about one's feelings, thoughts and desires.
This goes hand in hand with the virtue of justice.
In Western Culture, sincerity has not always been regarded as a virtue. It became and artistic and social ideal in Europe and North America in the 17th century (sic)* during the Romantic Movement.
Some scholars view sincerity as a construct** rather than a moral virtue.
Sincerity became the central aspect of moral life. It has been part of social norms, ethical values, traditions and religious beliefs.
Sincerity means freedom from deceit, hypocrisy, or duplicity, honesty in intention or in communicating; seriousness. (sic)
In our daily lives, even though sincerity carries a risk of offending or not pleasing everyone, we expect our friends, family and leaders to be sincere.
Without sincerity, everything becomes artificial. Things fit the mold where there are no particular thoughts or feelings. People just play a role like in theaters. To form durable relationships, sincerity and justice must be part of them.
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wizard book 6 text 15

Industrious

Industrious is the quality applied to people constantly, regularly, or habitually active or occupied. It's a virtue regarded to those who want to lose no time and be always committed to something useful.
Even though working or studying is not always pleasant, humans can't be happy and content doing nothing. Days become too long for those with nothing to do.
In a world of competition, being industrious helps one to stand out in business or studies. The most lasting benefits come from work that leads to a tangible outcome.
Mankind always pursues perfection and industrious people usually invest their time in improvement.
Being industrious also provides means to support one's self and family (sic), if applicable. It also provides a way to get out of and avoid debt. Industrious people also tend to accomplish more affluence and independence than those that are idle and lazy.
In an age of sophisticated machines and high technology, one's survival depends on competence which comes from being industrious and productive.

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wizard book 6 text 13

Frugality
Benjamin Franklin explained this virtue as “making no expense but to do (sic) good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing”.
Being frugal is often confused with being cheap, but this is not the case. Being frugal means spending money wisely, looking for bargains and not wasting on frivolous unnecessary things in order to achieve more lasting, meaningful goals. By not wasting, one will want little, hence the popular phrase “waste not, want not”.
Being frugal is a crucial financial skill to learn and implement in daily living. By leading a more frugal life, one is able to better stay out of debt and avoid financial burdens.
The virtue of frugality even found itself among the list of Roman values where it was defined as “economy and simplicity of style, without being miserly”. Combining generosity with frugality provides a way to not become miserly or stingy. The two balance each other in order to provide equilibrium.

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wizard book 6 text 11

Resolution

The virtue of resolution, as defined by Benjamim Franklin, is resolving to “perform what you ought and performing without fail what you resolve.” In other words, we are to act and do things in accordance with our values and beliefs. And once we decide to do something, and commit ourselves to doing it, we are to finish what we started, without failure.
Franklin's theory on the virtue resolution was that once it became habitual, he would remain firm in obtaining all his other virtues. This can also be applied particulary to work and education. Once we make resolution a habit in our lives, we will have more success in attaining our goals whether they are work related or personal.
Nowadays, there actually exists a specific day that people make resolutions to follow all year long. That day is January first, New Year's Day. On this particular day, it is common to set goals and make the resolution to use habit and commitment to achieve those goals by the end of the year.
Resolution is important in all aspects of our lives, especially when making goals. If we have determination, we will have the force to accomplish all of our goals.

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quarta-feira, 24 de março de 2010

wizard book 6 text 9

Order

Order is related to the way things are organized. Things must have their places and a schedule must be kept to avoid wasted time.
Franklin chose his third virtue expecting it would allow him more time to attend his projects and studies.
Nowadays, even after more than 200 years since Franklin's self-improvement system has been published, people still use the same administration patterns.
We have computers that help us do any kind of work faster, but if we don't follow the principles of being organized , we'll lose track of time management.
Order is a great virtue. In the past or today, certain social, professional and personal rules are still in force. To be successful in any kind of business, appearance, speech and conduct are important qualities to have.
It´s mandatory to be organized during times when people have to be aware of anything related to the company they work for and be able to do many things in a short period of time.
From the president to the secretary, it is expected that everyone work focused on the same ideal, principal and target.

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terça-feira, 23 de março de 2010

wizard book 6 text 7

Silence

Silence is golden, a very popular slogan, suggests that people should not use the gift of word unless it is for something benefitial. The virtue of silence isn't being mute, but rather speaking only when necessary.

Very early in life we learn to speak and, as soon as we learn our first words, speaking becomes a habit and sometimes a mania. When we are small, everything seems to be so funny and we are stimulated to talk about what we want and feel. We learn more and more words as we grow older and communication is done mainly by speaking.

We may talk on the telephone, radio and through computers. Technology is becoming sophisticated and the human voice can be heard on all kinds of machines, such as answering machines, walkie-talkies, toys, computer programs, etc.

In order to better communicate with others, we even learn to speak other languages, which makes mankind the most communicative being on Earth.

Even though we learn early to speak, silence is a virtue we sometimes take too long to learn. Silence is an important virtue when we desire to gain knowledge, considering that in a conversation, knowledge is obtained by listening rather than by speaking.

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wizard book 6 text 5

Temperance

The word temperance means self-control. This virtue is about maintaining correct and acceptable balance in one's temperament. It is too hard to deal with highly temperamental people. Temperance plays a fundamental role in all aspects of our lives. Our actions are smoother and more productive when interacting with temperance. It's rewarding to be in control of ourselves and see things flow and succeed as a result of a well planned goal.

Temperance is having control of body, mind and emotions. The equilibrium of these aspects of our being gives power to master our self-control. Pay close attention to the way you speak, the words you use, your tone of voice. People with high hostility scores experience a higher rate of heart disease and do not succeed in interacting well with others.

Concentrate your thoughts on profitable ideas. Controlling what we say, do or think plays an important role when negotiating or setting goals.

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wizard book 6 text 3

Mission Statement
First of all it's important to understand the differece between a goal and a mission statement. A mission statement is a goal based on principles.One can refer to it often, and also reconsider,adapt, change and review it, as needed. having and following a mission statement helps one achieve goals essentially based on what's right for this person. a mission statement is a paragraph where people state the means and principles to reach what they want. it is a way people can organuze themselves to achieve their goals.
most successful companies have and display theirs mission statement in their menuals, websites, or any other means of communication to inform the public of their good service. wizard's educational mission statement is found on the front page of this book. the advantage of writing a mission statement is that from the president to the recepcionist. there is a commitment to following the same principles. by writing a mission statement one can see the extent of a dream, hope, ambition, or goal, it gives direction, purpose, and prospective to a goal. it's a way of making any wish a possible goal.

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wizard livro 6 texto 1

goal
A goal is something you want or you aim for with a deadline. The
things you want that have no deadlines are just wishes.
A goal can be
anything you want for yourself in whatever aspect whether it be
personal, professional, social, spiritual or familial. It can be
concrete or abstract. Maybe your goal is to be rich or maybe
it is just to improve your relationship. but in either case it's
important to establish a deadline to accomplish your goal.
Goals are classified as short-range involving or taking into account a short period of time or long-range involving or taking into account a long
period of time.
No matter if you are a teenager or an adult, you'll deal
with goals very frequently. in everyday actions we do or organize things
in order to accomplish our goals.
Very early in life people have to learn how to get things they want or need. In order to achieve these things there are techniques people can use. The sooner you learn how to organize yourself the better. When the mind is organized situations can be pictured easily. This helps people succeed in
dealing with or controlling these situations.

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