Simply put, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be is a “concise guide to making the most of yourself — a pocket guide for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible.”
Written by former advertising guru Paul Arden, the book offers wisdom on issues as diverse as problem solving, responding to a brief, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes and creativity — all notions that can be applied to aspects of modern life.
What makes it unusual is the way it is written and presented: a compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom, packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized thoughts.
Arden has a very interesting take on how to succeed. Here are just a few of the book’s “tidbits.”
TALENT Talent helps, but it won’t take you as far as ambition.
ENERGY It’s 75% of the job. If you haven’t got it, be nice.
DO NOT COVET YOUR IDEAS If you give away everything you have, you are left with nothing. This forces you to look, to be aware, to replenish. Somehow, the more you give away, the more comes back to you.
THE PERSON WHO DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES ISN’T LIKELY TO MAKE ANYTHING Benjamin Franklin said, “I haven’t failed; I’ve had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work.”
DON’T BE AFRAID OF SILLY IDEAS Comedian John Cleese puts it rather more eloquently, “High creativity is responding to situations without critical thought.” (Playfulness)
Just a few more headlines from the book:
HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR COMPANY GREAT
HOW A SENIOR MANAGER CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WORD “CREATIVE?”
I URGE you to read It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good you Want To Be. It is very thought provoking.