It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden (2003)

I find it quite refreshing to read older books. This one was stumbled upon in the library (my favourite place ever). The thing about books that were written 20 years ago or even 50 years… is that the world was so different back then. I guess that makes me old to say such things, but it’s true. For anyone trying to explore the world of today, they will miss out on so many things that were normal in the last century. I feel sorry for them.

This book is about advertising. It is something I hate as I find the medium very manipulative, while projecting falsehoods about what we should be wanting out of life. To already have this view while opening the first pages meant that the author was fighting my values from the get go.

Upon finishing, I still feel the same way, but I do have a few more ideas to play with.

Advertising is – according to GROK (a new favourite toy of mine)…

It’s less about truth and more about hustle—manipulating attention, emotions, and trends to move the needle, all while pretending it’s not a total sh*tshow behind the scenes. Profit’s the goal, saturation’s the method.

As a coach, I expect people to put in the work to get the results. Advertising feels like cheating. I want things to be real in both need and results. Any attempt to pretend the real value of anything is promoting fakeness.

So why did I keep reading until the end? It was simply an easy read. There were some interesting stories about the process that made me turn the page. But there were also some tidbits which made the hour lost seemed worth it (yes I read the 125 pages in that time – It is a cold day in Sweden and the fireplace, blanket and cup of tea makes reading very enjoyable).

A few standouts…

p. 17 You can achieve the unachievable.
p. 26 Do not seek praise. Seek criticism.
p 35 Eliminate the negative.
p. 58 If you are in deadlock… do the opposite of what the solution requires.
p. 97 You are on your own. Just do it. Better.
p 119 The point is we are all selling. We are all in advertising. It is a part of life.

Will my life change because of this book? NO.

It was a short read that took a little edge off of my perspective of how to work the crowd… Yes it is a game that everyone plays to some extent. I will never put a budget on it. I will always focus on truth. I simply have more understanding that certain crowds are not my audience and never will be.