Filled with fun anecdotes, quirky photos, and off-the-wall business advice, the provocative sequel to "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How good You Want to Be" reveals the surprising power of bad decisions.
Paul Arden (7 April 1940 鈥� 2 April 2008) was an influential author of several books on advertising and motivation including "Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite" and "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be" and a former creative director for Saatchi and Saatchi at the height of their advertising might. In 1987 Arden was appointed executive creative director. He has spent 14 years with the agency, handling accounts of British Airways, Anchor Butter, Toyota, Ryvita, Nivea, Trust House Forte, Alexon Group and Fuji among others. His British Airways campaigns continue to be remembered as one of the greatest advertising campaigns of all time, changing the fortunes of the airline. "Arden was the ringmaster behind the whole creative circus that saw British Airways become 'The World's Favourite Airline', The Independent become the new intelligentsia's favourite newspaper, Margaret Thatcher the nation's favourite leader and Silk Cut their favourite fag." Dave Trott, The Independent "Tempestuous advertising director who thought up memorable campaigns for Silk Cut, BA and The Independent" Times Online Arden chose to leave Saatchi & Saatchi in 1992 but remained a key consultant for the agency until 1995.
There is a legend from the beginning of time when all the parts of the body were equal. Being fated to inequality the organs, limbs, and parts debated who should rule the body. The brain said that it ought to rule because it was the thinking organ. The heart said that it ought to rule because life was impossible without it. Then the arsehole said that that it ought to rule because it wanted to. All the other parts of the body laughed - even the gall bladder. In a huff the anal sphincter refused to work until the rest of the body acknowledged its supremacy.
For the first couple of days nothing happened and nobody worried, but after that things became more and more uncomfortable, until eventually the whole body had to submit to its new ruler. From that day forth all humankind has been subject to arseholes. A prime illustration of this is Paul Arden's short book Whatever you think think the opposite, an alternative title for which could have been How to be an Arsehole.
It is the kind of book that should come packaged in a plastic bag, with cigar smoke and the odour of liquor sealed in. Despite being published in the early 2000s it is firmly rooted in an earlier era when Mammon was the only God and its true prophet was Maggie Thatcher (may her hotel bills always be paid for her).
This book suggests an arrogant man, certain of himself, holding court before admirers as he delivers sweeping statements. I suppose this could be provocative, but there is a way in which a sweeping statement invites a nuanced assessment recognising that there is some applicability to his ideas even if life is generally more complex . This reminded me of something I believe Samadrita wrote that by travelling between certain countries you could affectively travel backwards or forwards in time in terms of attitudes and cultural assumptions, in a similar way even within one economy different industries are at different stages of development and some preserve the work habits of far earlier times. Long before you get to Arden's page 110 advice Don't go to university, you get the general impression that he worked in advertising. Advertising according to him seems to be still in the eighteenth century, you're best off getting ahead by serving your time as an apprentice brushing the wigs of the partners and fetching the journeymen their pots of mid-morning beer to get the right names on your CV . On the other hand if your intention is to become a Doctor, for instance, then Arden's advice is possibly not quite so helpful.
In comparison with you get the sense that Arden worked at the more arty-farty end of the profession. Ogilvy likes practical details - where coupons make the biggest impact in journals, while Arden is all about shock value. He loves An ace caff with quite a nice museum attached (p132) as slogan for the Victoria & Albert Museum and from memory that choice did generate some free publicity for the museum, but from a business point of view all that I am interested in knowing about that slogan is did it increase visitor numbers or did it the level of takings above the trend for comparable London attractions. Arden doesn't care, for him the provocation of not treating a museum as a tribute to the muses is enough. Still his taste is lazy, he likes the idea that a picture of Hitler makes an impact on the page (p135). We're only a few years on from 2006, but I don't think a picture of Hitler as an object in itself had an impact even then, it is a long way from being edgy.
Arden's book has most of value to say to you if you work in an area where commerce and the arts cross - such as people doing the art work for advertising agencies. In that case Arden's interest in what is going to make money and what is going to stand out is potentially useful and helpful. However there is also an interesting tension that is not resolved - on the one hand there are the flower pictures (pp8-9) and the idea of doing something out of the box, while on the other hand (the more than slightly condescending!) notion (on pp76-77) that most people are other people, a herd of sheep, in which case producing something out of the box is not going to work - you need to be following or with the trend to appeal to them not to buck it or confront it. Then again this isn't so much a tension as a reality, but here we are getting into market segmentation and possibly also into how we compartmentalise our own lives - there's room enough in a person's life to stay with the trends and to be open to the unique.
Consciously or unconsciously perhaps Arden acknowledges this by saying steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination...Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic (p94). That is an appeal both to an individual sense of taste, but also to the safety of conformance, by copying somebody else you are becoming a heard of at least two following somebody else's lead.
In any case what he has to say about there not being a right point of view, or how you have to do things radically differently to achieve a breakthrough solution will only be new to you if you haven't come across them before.
In any case, this is a short book, with few words and many big pictures that none the less succeeds in being repetitive . It is not really consistent or coherent, but then again that's not what Arden is interested in.
I bought Arden's "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be" a few years ago, and I think it's one of the best books on creativity and how to achieve what you want that I've seen. It's basically a pocket-sized kick in the pants for those moments when you need that. Since reading that book I'd been considering getting "Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite" but whenever I'd picked it up in a bookshop, it always seemed to be rehashing some of what was in the first book. So when a friend gave me this as part of a parcel of inspirational/creativity books for Christmas, I was very pleased indeed.
Now that I've read it, yes, there is a certain amount of rehashing, but whereas the first book is about a fairly general "get out there and do something", this book is focused on taking risks, experimenting and not being afraid to make mistakes. I think this narrower focus does - at least to some extent - justify the repetition, although I'll freely admit that it's this repetition that's reduced the score I'm giving this book to 4 stars (probably 3 1/2 would be my actual score, except that 欧宝娱乐 doesn't do half-stars and it's a good book, so 3 seems a bit stingy)
The layout, as with "It's Not How Good You Are...", is intriguing and sets off each brief statement in a graphic way that usually is not merely designery, but helps you think differently about what's being said, even if it's a simple statement (mostly they're simple statements).
I think it's a helpful book, and if you're looking for a quick, thought-provoking read to help you start to be a bit braver in achieving what you want, then it's a good starting point - especially if you haven't read "It's Not How Good You Are...". However, if you're after something substantial, covering ways to help you overcome the worry that goes with risk, I'd recommend Jonathan Fields' Uncertainty instead.
Great, totally revolutionary, and out of the box .
This is a super-quick read, making each point succinctly, and then moving on to the next. This will take you less than an hour and you will be so glad you spent the time.
Insightful book with a practical perspective for those who want to better themselves in their careers and life alike.
It states the truth and facts that one may be consciously aware of but incompetent in employing the powerful insights given. It triggers thinking and deep introspection for one to question how far they want to go from the current point.
I need to mention that the design of the book almost blew my mind.
This was a great little read.
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Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, Their lives a mimicry, Their passions a quotation.
鈥� Oscar Wilde ________________________________
鈥淚t's better to regret what you have done than what you haven't.鈥� ________________________________
鈥淒O IT , THEN FIX IT AS YOU GO.鈥� ________________________________
鈥淪tart taking bad decisions and it will take you to a place where others only dream of being.鈥� ________________________________
Having an original point of view or angle is a novelty , Recognizing its value is intelligent , Having the courage to stand up for it in the face of public opinion is what makes you a winner. ________________________________
Good marks will not secure you an interesting life. your imagination will. ________________________________
Great people have great egos, so let us put it to good use rather than try to deny it. ________________________________
We are trapped, it is not because we are making the wrong decisions, it's because we are making the wright ones. ________________________________
The unsafe decision causes you to think and respond in a way you hadn't thought of. ________________________________
" The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable man adapts the world to himself. All progress depends upon the unreasonable man. ________________________________
" IF YOU WANT TO BE INTERESTING , BE INTERESTED " ________________________________
How you present yourself is how others will value you.
Paul Arden aims to provide off-beat advice on being a creative, however, there were a lot of points in this book that had me shaking my head in disagreement. Arden suggests "at twenty-eight it is a bit late to find out you are in the wrong job" and don't go to university because "for all your education, you will still be the office junior." Arden goes to to state he "feels sorry for these people" who go to university, and ends up coming across as rather ignorant and patronising rather than helpful. But there are plenty of points Arden raises that I do agree with, wholeheartedly; he suggests we need to take charge, give ourselves goals, push ourselves, and seek criticism not approval. is an OK read but there are instead.
When thinking about reading this book one should consider the advice from its author written on the front cover. To my astonishment, one reviewer described the book as, "A daring attack on the way we look at our work and our world." I would say it was more banal than brave and despite some semi-interesting paradoxes, you can find most of these cliches and pithy observations scrolling down social media sites, being shared by people who enjoy the short-term feeling that this sort of motivation is really going to make a difference. Paul Arden has made a fortune from selling cheap inspiration and like the majority of self-help books, it's lazy pop-psychology that belongs on the subliterature shelf.
[..] Authenticity is invaluable. Originality is non-existent. [..]
ES V膾LOS. I WISH. I WANT. v膿l膿拧an膩s un vajadz墨bas izteiksme
Pirms izas墨ju Paul Arden gr膩matu 芦WHATEVER YOU THINK EHT KNIHT .ETISOPPO禄, es nebiju apjautusi, cik pla拧s diapazons ir 拧aj膩 vien膩 fr膩z膿 - ES V膾LOS. Paties墨b膩, jau vair膩k膩s p膿d膿j膩s las墨tas gr膩matas man saka: 鈥淛o vair膩k dar墨si, jo vair膩k tev veiksies.鈥� Dar墨拧anas metode.
P膿c p膩ris m膿ne拧iem @latvian_art_directors_club skol膩, es joproj膩m 墨sti nezinu, k膩 lai apvieno visu to, ko esmu uz艈膿musies - darbs, rakstniec墨ba, studijas, person墨g膩 un sabiedrisk膩 dz墨ve, ment膩l膩s un fizisk膩s vesel墨bas notur膿拧ana l墨dzsvar膩.
Dar墨拧anas metode! Pl膩no拧ana un priorit膩tes. L奴k mans 2023鈥�! Jo kad gan man v膿l dz墨v膿 b奴s iesp膿ja - tik jaud墨g膩 un koncentr膿t膩 veid膩 m膩c墨ties no lab膩kajiem profesion膩l膩kajiem rado拧膩s dom膩拧anas, rekl膩mas, strat膿模ijas un AUTENTISKU ideju jom膩?! Un ir piln墨gi skaidrs, ka tas ko m膩cos - man noder vis膩s man膩s dz墨ves jom膩s - ne tikai darb膩, bet ar墨 rakstniec墨b膩 鈥� un j膩 - tas 募oti labi 鈥渓iek pa plauktiem鈥� person墨gos uzskatus un v膿rt墨bas. Pie tam, skolas las膩mo gr膩matu ieteikumi ir 100%.
Kas gan slikts var notikt?! Visu var nepasp膿t? J膩, vienlaikus var ar墨 neizdoties. Gad膩 ir 365 dienas 鈥� tas ir maz un daudz vienlaikus, - ES V膾LOS pabeigt uzrakst墨t ies膩kot gr膩matu, ES V膾LOS sasniegtu jaunas virsotnes karjer膩, ES V膾LOS b奴t kl膩teso拧a 模imen膿 un studij膩s, ES V膾LOS vair膩k r奴p膿ties par sevi - iek拧膿ji un 膩r膿ji. Pauls Ardens gr膩mat膩 芦Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite禄 raksta: 鈥淓ven a bad idea executed is better than a good idea undone.鈥�
OK, lai t膩 ir - vienk膩r拧i j膩dara. J膩realiz膿 savas ap艈em拧an膩s, sap艈i un idejas. Vajadz墨bas izteiksm膿!
尝补蝉墨迟. Las墨t daudz un da啪膩das gr膩matas, jo tas 鈥渧isviens apzin膩ti vai neapzin膩ti - ir veids k膩 skoloties pie meistariem.鈥� (c) Guntis Berelis
Dalieties ar citiem iedvesm膩 - las墨tu, redz膿tu, dzird膿tu, piedz墨votu vai sajustu! T膩 izspogu募ojas vair膩k sev un var b奴t 鈥渢ie拧i laik膩鈥� k膩dam citam! Dot un sa艈emt.
"FOTOGRAFARE I FIORI. Innanzitutto prenderemo un esemplare perfetto, poi lo sistemeremo con cura, gli daremo una bella illuminazione e vi spruzzeremo un po' d'acqua per un effetto rugiada. Probabilmente sar脿 una bella foto, ma solo fino a un certo punto, perch茅 di belle foto di fiori ne abbiamo gi脿 viste a migliaia. Negli anni Trenta Andr茅 Kert茅sz scatt貌 la foto di un tulipano appassito. Se l'hai vista una volta non te le dimentichi pi霉. In una foto pubblicitaria per se stesso, il fotografo Adrian Flowers lo fece mostrando solo il vaso, non i fiori."
"Questo 猫 un quadro con una scritta in Braille. I caratteri dicono "Non toccare", ma l'unico modo per saperlo 猫 toccandolo. Un bellissimo paradosso."
" A volte la cosa pi霉 intelligente 猫 non essere troppo intelligenti. Fotografate un bicchiere, mettete l'obiettivo fuori fuoco e usate una lente deformante. Poi chiedete a qualcuno: 'Che cos'猫?' Vi risponderanno: 'La fotografia di un bicchiere.' Fate un'altra foto dello stesso bicchiere. Non sfocate e non deformate. Fate una cosa normale. Poi chiedete: 'Che cos'猫?' Vi risponderanno: 'Un bicchiere.' "
I love all Arden Books!! This has a philosophical theme to it, with lots of crazy, interesting ideas. What I like about it, is that it has many art and design references. This is great because I studied Graphic design at university.
I really liked this book.. simple, to the point and only 140 pages! things that I liked: 1- There is no right point of view! You are always right. You are always wrong. It just depends from which pole you looked at. 2- Having an original point of view is a novelty. Recognizing its value is intelligent. Having the courage to stand up for it in the face of public opinion is what makes you a winner.