I would like to invite you to enjoy a book that is not about style at all. And yet, it is 100%.
It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden.
This tiny book was a present from my good friend, a renown designer. She gave it to me at the point in time when I was so busy with my studies that reading anything else rather than books on qualitative research seemed impossible. Yet, the title and the cover seemed almost authoritative. So, I indulged myself and sunk into what seemed to be a very challenging promise.
The book consists of several chapters divided into small entries, each of them can boast a motivating headline, great typography and a witty illustration that sticks. All these visual means serve a purpose – the book definitely forms (re-forms!) an attitude to one’s life and work, what one shares with the world.
“I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic”
– Victoria Beckham
But for me, from the first page, this book was about one’s style. I believe that how we dress also starts with an attitude, even if we don’t want to admit it.
If you don’t believe me, just ask a very good friend to comment on your looks – critically, without reservation and absolutely honestly. It doesn’t matter who is right, and who of you has a more exquisite taste, that’s not the point. The point is to see that there is a huge deal of attitude behind what you chose to put on. I can guarantee that in the end of this experiment (if you dare to make it, of course!) you will find yourself justifying every garment that you are wearing, and it’s very likely that you will spend the rest of the day continuing this dialogue in your head. That’s how our brain works. It justifies. That is normal. And, perhaps, you do have a great style, but then, what is it that you want to improve? What makes you look critically in the mirror, avoid shops or spend hours in the search for new things? Our attitude can be a huge obstacle when we are seeking for a change or are stuck with solutions that used to work, but are about to stop because our life is changing.
So, if you want to be more, to look better or bolder, to challenge and shake your self-perception, give Paul Arden a try.