How good do you want to be?

My parents always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be.

I believed them.

It’s not how good I am, it’s how good I want to be.

In It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, Paul Arden examines this concept in detail.

My parents could have written this book.

I’ve converted my favorite takeaways and quotes from Arden’s book into personal mantras below.

Each of these statements is powerful and deep in its own right.

1. I must aim beyond what I am capable of.

2. I must not confuse being good with being liked.

3. I must seek criticism instead of praise.

4. I must blame no one but myself.

5. I must not covet my ideas, for they are open knowledge and I do not own them.

6. I must emphasize what is right while not knocking the competition.

7. I must ask the right questions if I am to get the right answers.

8. I must not promise what I am unable to deliver.

9. I must take no as a question, not an answer.

10. I must do it, even when it can’t be done.

11. I must fail in order to learn.

12. I must try to be wrong at the expense of being right.

13. I must present myself as I want to be perceived.

14. I must paint a picture.

15. I must take risks.

16. I must seek inspiration.

17. I must not try to win awards.

18. I must be the person the best people want to associate with.

How good do you want to be?