What Dorothy Can Teach Job Seekers & Career Coaches

Benjamin Franklin’s 3 Principles to ‘Self-Making’

“Diligence is the Mother of Good Luck”

For most, it’s all about the kite, the lightning bolt, and the discovery of electricity.?However, Franklin was one of the first writers to address the concept of self-making.?When Franklin first introduced Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1732, he used blank spaces between the crop data and the weather information to add witty bits of motivational advice (He is considered one of the first formal motivational speakers/authors of our time).?The purpose was to help people live better quality lives by the process he called, self-making - the art of making one’s own life rich and fulfilling. Satisfying.

?You surely recall the phrase, fish and company start to stink after three days.?This was one of the hundreds of comments Franklin made about the subject of life.?Another was, Diligence is the mother of good luck.?Often we hear about a new musical group or movie star that became an overnight success.?We assume that they were in the right place, at the right time, and knew the right people.?But the reality is that most of the time, their overnight success required many arduous years (some, decades) of labor, overcoming mountains of adversity, and yes, experiencing some good fortune along the way.?It’s true, diligence (persistence) is the mother of good luck.

?Self-Making versus Self-Delusion

Self-making is the art of taking personal accountability to achieve success and satisfaction in life (and in one’s career).?Franklin noted that, unfortunately, a good number of well-intentioned people (and organizations) lacked the skills required for self-making; resulting in self-deception.?How many times have you heard, or seen signs stipulating: it’s not my responsibility, or, we’re not responsible for your (anything) anymore??And the sad truth is, that far too many people believe they are successful and happy; yet they have only mastered the skill of self-deception.?Masking their own discontent. (Not unlike a killer website masking an underachieving entrepreneur).

?And she walked away in silence,

It's strange how you never know.

But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for,

Such a long, long time ago.

?You see she was gonna be an actress.

And I was gonna learn to fly.

She took off to find the footlights.

And I took off for the sky.

?And here, she's acting happy,

Inside her handsome home.

And me, I'm flying in my taxi,

Taking tips and getting stoned.

I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

?- Taxi, Harry Chapin

?Indeed, far too many people have not mastered the art of self-making, like job seekers watching too much TV rather than working on their job campaigns.?As a result, unnecessary underachievement leads the way throughout life.?On the other hand, those who embrace self-making, as an enriching lifelong pursuit, will squeeze the juice from every day and maximize their potential.?

?In addition to Franklin’s discoveries, humor, and motivation, he provided three principles of success that have weathered the test of time.?Perhaps relevant for job seekers; and all of us.

?1)???Principle #1:?Happiness doesn’t come from huge successes; rather from small, daily achievements?

Franklin suggests that happiness is a means to an end, not an end unto itself.?Too often we say, I’ll be happy when I get more customers… a new job… or more money.?But that is a deception.?We don’t become happy when something happens. We attract what happens because we are happy with what we have, in pursuit of our ambitions.?

?When we focus on small daily achievements, such as waking to another opportunistic day, or appreciating our eyesight, or making an extra phone call to a networking contact in pursuit of a new job, or doing 11 pushups when just a week ago, we could only do five… we find joy in the small stuff – every day.?Perhaps our daily successes come from our kid’s achievements, or catching up with old friends (not isolating), or baking a cake we’ve been putting off, or taking walks on the beach.?Small stuff. ?But important stuff.?When I had back surgery, my goal was to ski again in four months.?My daily joy, at first, came from just walking around my hospital bed, with the goal of making measurable progress every day.?And celebrating that progress!

?Yes, Franklin believed in setting big goals and seeking huge successes.?But on route to these lofty ambitions, he strongly believed that happiness (emotional integrity), while in the pursuit, was the key to high achievement. ?

?2)???Principle #2:?Life is not rigid

Franklin believed that each of us has the power to mold ourselves and our environments. We have the ability to think, rethink, rethink what we just rethought, change, and adapt to impermanence, which is one of life’s few permanent guarantees.?Franklin said that it’s up to each of us to begin the molding process, and become and achieve all that we aspire to, which requires flexibility and a non-rigid approach to life.?And this written back in the 1760s!?

?By exploiting our resourceful minds and investing our full capabilities, we find that being flexible is transformative both in process and outcome.?Holding on to confining beliefs and habits is self-limiting.?However, when we let go of the rigid, outdated, and often illogical demands that we place upon ourselves and others, we can actually enjoy the journey (including the tough stuff)… as we chase our ambitious goals… in the short time we have to chase them.

?3)???Principle #3:?Success is a pleasure

Franklin contends that if what we are doing today is not satisfying or gratifying, we can’t possibly view ourselves as successful. ?In fact, quite the contrary.?If what we are doing today is not satisfying and is not pleasurable, he claims that we are laying the foundation for a non-satisfying future as well.?

?Franklin argued that regardless of how many worldly possessions we own, how much money we have, or the loving people we have in our lives, if we are unable to find pleasure in all that we experience, we cannot consider ourselves successful.?And if we require evidence to support this principle, we need only look to the many people in Hollywood, sports, or business (or closer to home), who seem to have it all – yet don’t find authentic pleasure in their successes.

?One acknowledgment you’ll almost always get from highly successful people is that they are happy because they envision something big, and commit to it.?But more importantly, they expect and embrace the inevitable adversity and obstacles that will arise along the way.?Below is the best example I can provide to defend Franklin’s proposition. ????????

?Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz

Dorothy is a good example of Benjamin Franklin’s concept of Self-Making.?She found herself in a new and frightening environment.?She was scared and only wanted to go home; that was her big ambition.?Yet, she taught us that happiness doesn’t come from achieving the grand dream.?Dorothy found happiness in the small, daily achievements in pursuit of the larger goal.?In fact, after all her fears and challenges, she had a difficult time leaving her friends when it was time to go home.?She knew life was not rigid; that she had to adapt without complaining, finding excuses, or blaming others.?

?Dorothy adapted when she headed down the Yellow Brick Road alone; not knowing what was in store for her.?She adapted when she discovered that the great OZ wasn’t so great.?She adapted when the Wicked Witch captured her.?But Dorothy also taught us that success (the process of getting home) is a pleasure.?Even though her dream of returning home had yet to be realized, she found pleasure in the small things along the way – even the challenges, the fears, and disappointments.?Dorothy was a success because she made the most of every moment and every experience.?She faced what she had to face – with pleasure.?That’s success.

?Summary: Franklin’s 3 principles of success.?

1)???Big achievements come from many small achievements. Celebrate them.

?2)???We have the power to mold our lives to enrich our lives, if we can envision and commit to a better future. ?And this requires being flexible and adaptable in the molding process.?

?3)???Success is measured through pleasure.?Actually, this is the key principle.?We’ve got to be happy along the way, even when we encounter challenges. This means patting ourselves on the back when we achieve the little goals, and lightening up on ourselves when we slip and fall.?Just get up and get on with it. ?Oh, and no more self-deception.

?Good advice, I think, for job seekers, career coaches, résumé writers… and the whole human race.?

Thanks, Ben.

??And she said, "How are you, Harry?"

I said, "How are you, Sue?

Through the too many miles and the too little smiles,

I still remember you."