It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be

I was very shocked when I finally had It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be in my hands. This best-selling book by Paul Arden is a lot smaller than I imagined. I thought how could a book so small be so influential?

The reason I think so many people enjoy the book is that it is an easy read (therefore accessible) and it had lots of great quotes to take away.

“Your vision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have” – The most important thing is your vision. The mind is so powerful but too often people just don’t harness it.

“Talent helps, but it won’t take you as far as ambition” – This type of quote is always a crowd-pleaser. You might not have talent, but anyone can be ambitious.

“You will become whoever you want to be” – Again, Paul is telling the reader they have the potential to become anything, but it starts with you wanting to be that thing.

“Do not seek praise. Seek criticism” – I love this quote. It is so easy to seek praise and not criticism, but from criticism you are able to learn, grow and improve. Developing the ability to take criticism well help you be more successful in the future

“If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules” – There are times when the rules need to be broken, especially in a creative environment.

“Don’t be afraid to work with the best“- Too often we want to be the best that we avoid working with the best, it makes us feel less or inferior. Working with the best means you can learn from the best. It is a bit like the seeking criticism quote. It may make you feel uncomfortable in the short-run but in the long-run it is worth it.

As you can see there are some great tips throughout the book. The book is very much focused on an advertising agency perspective. There is a numerous reference to serving clients and pitching. So it is definitely a book for an individual in a creative role to read.

Overall, this book contains great nuggets of information in an easily accessible form. The whole design of the book (small and large print) make it a book that can be read by most and also easy to dip in and out of to be inspired.