A.J. Jacobs of New York City, bestselling author of "The Year of Living Constitutionally," told Fox News Digital why thinking of others was so important when our country was founded — and why "doing good" remains relevant today.
It’s well known that Ben Franklin was a morning person. In his "Poor Richard’s Almanac," he famously said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise ." But what did Ben Franklin do when he got up early? What was his morning ritual? That is less well known.
In his autobiography, Ben Franklin wrote that the first thing he did when he woke up each day was to ask himself the following question: "What good shall I do this day?" (See the video at the top of this article.) CAKE AND DEMOCRACY ARE A ‘SWEET' COMBINATION, SAYS BESTSELLING AUTHOR: ‘FREEDOM IS A TREAT’ I love Ben Franklin’s ritual. For most of my adult life, my default morning thoughts included questions such as, "What annoying tasks do I have to do this day?" and "What terrible things have happened in the world that I’ll read about when I open my laptop?" A.
J. Jacobs, a New York City-based bestselling author (shown at right), spent a year "living" the Constitution — which included getting closer to the lives of America's Founding Fathers. Shown at left Ben Franklin.
(iStock; A.J. Jacobs) Nowadays, I try instead to do what Ben Franklin advises: I ask myself, "What good can I do today?" Written on a piece of paper, it now hangs over my desk as a reminder.
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