DR. MARK KESTNER, Post Columnist
Posted: Sunday, July 5, 2009 8:13 am

As we celebrate Independence Day, my thoughts turn to Benjamin Franklin. No other single person was so profoundly involved in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Franklin was inordinately successful in many pursuits.

One of the things I noted was that Franklin placed immense importance on the value of choosing his own habits. If we don’t intentionally select our habits, our destiny will be determined by habits that we develop accidentally.

Ready to think big? Really big? Think you can be a better YOU than anyone ever dreamed? Here are three habits that can help you do just that.

Habit one: Use a planner.

Whether it is a paper planner, Blackberry or other device, I have noticed that most people that maintain a highly productive life use some sort of planner, even if it is the kitchen calendar. Getting the most out of your planner involves much more than simply making lists and recording appointments. The more faithfully one uses a planner, the simpler life becomes. That’s true even if your life is crowded with multiple obligations, tasks, appointments and reminders.

Habit two: Stop to think

Have you ever heard the expression, “Work smarter, not harder”? That’s part of the value of pausing to think things through. We all have so much going on that it is easy to rush from one task or appointment to another, with little time given to prioritizing our activities. (You might even discover that you are doing some things because of old, no longer appropriate habits.)

Habit three: Celebrate each day

No matter how the events turn out each day, there is always something to celebrate. Some people actually make a list of things to be thankful for.

These three habits will help you find your version of success in life. So, what is success? You have to decide for yourself. I can tell you what I think of as success, and maybe that will help you think about what success means to you.

I think of success in terms of enjoying a full, well-rounded, diverse existence. I want to accomplish things. I enjoy learning new things and developing new skills. I want to earn a good living, provide for my family, stay out of debt and have spending money.

Spending fun time with my family is important to me. I enjoy doing simple routine things with my wife, even running errands or shopping. I want to do everything I can to help my daughter grow into a well-adjusted, happy, successful, contributing adult.

I hope to be remembered by many as someone that helped them in some small way. I really enjoy the clinical and business side of my private practice and constantly work to improve it. I look forward to getting to work every day.

I love to laugh and find humor in every day. I enjoy being creative and regularly do some type of creative activity. I enjoy doing a little bit of nothing every once in a while. For me “piddling” is a genuinely legitimate, rewarding activity.

I know better than to try to be perfect. I hope God will be glad he made me, in spite of my failures. These are all things that seem like part of a successful life to me. Your idea of success may be far different, and that’s a good thing.

Don’t get the impression that I am really good at accomplishing all of these ideals. Sometimes I am way off the mark. I make mistakes daily (hourly?) and get off track. But I have found that if I keep trying, I get better each year at reaching my goals in life. I have discovered many things that I have absolutely no talent for. I have failed more times than I can count at practically everything in life. It just doesn’t occur to me to actually quit trying.

If you are still trying after all these years, take a fresh look at the three habits and see how they fit in your life.

Next week, new medical tests that you might be seeing soon.

Dr. Mark Kestner
mkestner@DrKestner.com