Before Benjamin Franklin became an inventor, entrepreneur, diplomat, and Founding Father, he was an ambitious boy trying to figure out what to do with his life.

In Part 1 of my journey through Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, we meet Franklin on his own terms—including his surprisingly candid admission that vanity is one of his weaknesses.

We explore:

Why Franklin decided to write the story of his life
How religious persecution shaped his family’s journey to America
Why his formal education ended much earlier than planned
How his father encouraged him to explore different trades
Franklin’s early curiosity, leadership, and appetite for self-education
The childhood mistake that taught him an important lesson about results and integrity

Franklin begins this story far removed from the famous man on the hundred-dollar bill. What we find instead is something much more useful: a curious, ambitious, imperfect young person gradually developing the habits that will shape an extraordinary life.

And perhaps that is why his story still matters.

Great lives are not simply born. They are built.

This is Part 1 of an 18-part series exploring Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and asking what his life can still teach us about self-improvement, character, work, and living well.

Until next time, remember: the answers are older than we are—and just as relevant today.

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