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One of our most recognizable founding father, Benjamin Franklin. He’s accredited with the finding of electricity, the pioneer of the public library, and the invention of bifocal lenses among other countless milestones. So what exactly was the secret to Ben’s success? Virtues! Ben Franklin  noted several times that he tracked his virtues throughout his entire life, and doing so lead him to success. But how can a modern day joe track his virtues in such a technological, hectic world? Simple, make technology do it for you! The Virtues, app by Equilibrium Enterprises, Inc., is a app for the iPhone or iTouch that can do precisely that.

The Virtues app is a way to keep a daily, weekly, or monthly record of  one of the same thirteen virtues that Ben Franklin followed. The virtues are: Temperance, order, resolution, frugality, moderation, industry, cleanliness, tranquility, silence, sincerity, justice, chastity and humility.

Here’s how the app works. For starters, you’ll need to choose at least one virtue to track. You can choose more, but keep in mind that Ben Franklin tracked one per week! If you’re not sure which virtue to choose, you can tap the “random virtue” button, or you can add your own virtue that’s not on the list. Then you need to set how long you plan to track a certain virtue, I would recommend between a few days and a week. Then, as time progresses you’ll need to score yourself on that virtue everyday via a points system. If you feel you haven’t quite lived up to a particular virtue on one day, then you can subtract points. Or if you feel you followed the virtue stunningly you can add points. There’s no particular goal other than one that you personally set.

The actual point scoring doesn’t do much for me. However, the whole idea of the app gets you thinking about virtues really counts. Although I have no actual evidence as to whether the app really leads to a more successful life, I can say it made me feel as if I was doing something right. And if it’s good enough for Ben Franklin it’s good enough for me! At $2.99 its a little expensive, but worth it! So check out Virutes now!

Verdict: 4/5 Stars