I heard something the other day that I must have learned in fourth grade when we first studied the Revolutionary War and our Founding Fathers. Ben Franklin, one of America’s greatest “self-made” men, had a life long interest in self-improvement.

When he was 20, he made a list of 13 virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, Humility. Each week he would focus on one virtue, striving to be ever more thoughtful, frugal, productive, sincere, etc. in pursuit of moral perfection. While he wrote in his autobiography that he was never perfect, the consistent attention to one virtue or another enabled him to build better habits.

I took this to heart and am trying to implement my own system of “forced consciousness” to see if I can do the same. My focus is not on virtues per se, but rather on areas of my life. This week it’s Work so I am making an effort to not get distracted by my cell phone while on the job and maintaining a positive attitude even when frustrated with the task at hand or interactions with colleagues. (Even if I like them, there are times people annoy me and I’m realizing it has much more to do with my attitude than anything they have done.) I’m even making a point to listen to work-related podcasts on my drive to the office. As I spend a significant amount of time managing our social media presence, I’ve been listening to social media strategists and consultants talk about the best ways to leverage channels like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

We’ll see how it goes, but I think it’s a good exercise at least. This week might as well have been Financial Health for the recipes I planned for the blog cost about as much as your usual at Starbucks.

This one is an easy, but flavorful side. The recipe has been adapted for a more intimate dinner party (read: party of two) and a more conscious waistline. (Save Paula Deen, I don’t think anyone would have wanted eight tablespoons – a whole stick – of butter going into six cups of rice.)

Parsleyed Rice
Serves 4

2 cups chicken stock (or water)
1 cup brown rice
a little bit of oil
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

1. Bring stock to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in the rice, drizzle in a little oil (to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan) and sprinkle in some salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until rice is ready. It’s best to follow the directions on the rice bag when it comes to cooking time, as times vary so much between types of rice and even brands of rice.

2. Uncover the pan, add butter and parsley, and put the lid back on the pot. Remove pan from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

3. Uncover pan, toss rice with a fork to mix in the butter and parsley and serve.