Paul Arden Dishes it Out!!!

To be quite honest with you, I don’t know who the hell Paul Arden is. But I sure love the books he wrote. The inner jacket sleeve describes him as “ a creative genius albeit a wayward one. After a stormy eighteen years in advertising he found his Alma Mater in Satchi & Saatchi in 1977, where he worked for 15 years. During his tenure as Executive Creative Director he was responsible for some of Britain’s most successful advertising campaigns-including British Airways, Silk Cut, Intercity and Fuji-and famous slogans, such as “The Car in front is a Toyota’ etcetera. But who cares about all that? Just check out the following inspiring gems below:

“IT’S NOT because you are making the wrong decisions, it’s because you are making the right ones. We try to make sensible decisions based on the facts in front of us. The problem with making sensible decisions is that so is everyone else.”
Whatever you think, think the opposite-Pg. 21

“Making the safe decision is dull, predictable and leads nowhere new. The unsafe decision causes you to think and respond in a way you hadn’t thought of. And that thought will lead to other thoughts which will help you achieve what you want. Start making bad decisions and it will take you to a place where others only dream of being.”Whatever you think, think the opposite-Pg. 23

“IT’S BETTER TO REGRET WHAT YOU HAVE DONE THAN WHAT YOU HAVEN’T”
Many people reach the age of forty, only to realize they have missed out on life. In many cases they had everything going for them, except when the gauntlet was tossed their way, they lacked the courage to pick it up. No one is going to cut off your arm, take away your motorbike or put you in jail if you don’t succeed. A friend of mine whose father had links with the IRA was in a spot of bother, so he went to his father for advice. He said, ‘Dad, I’m in trouble.’ The father asked, ‘Are they going to kill you?” He said, “Oh no, no.” His father said, ‘Son, you don’t have a problem.’ Even when we want to be timid and play it safe, we should pause for a moment to imagine what we might be missing.”
Whatever you think, think the opposite-Pg. 26-27

"MEET STEADY EDDIE. The corporate non-risk taker rises fast on the freshness of youth; an open mind, a pleasant demeanor and good looks will accelerate this rise. His superiors are pleased to promote him since it reflects well on them. The candidate reaches a platform of responsibility, not something to be treated lightly. After all he is now a manager, albeit a junior one. His salary rises in accordance with status, not ability, and he reaches board level. It is now time to appoint a joint or deputy managing director. Our man is considered to be a good company man, but he is a bit dull. He doesn’t produce innovation: he doesn’t do anything for the image of the company. There’s a very good young man in his department earning a third of his salary, who younger members of staff respond to. Our man at forty is moved sideways, and at forty-seven he is out. He didn’t reach the top of the ladder, he has fallen and there is no climbing back. He’s finished, yet he has done nothing wrong. That is the problem. He’s done nothing wrong. NOW LET’S LOOK AT RECKLESS RICH. As a youngster, he doesn’t have the charm of the previous character. Not the corporate type. He’s irritating but enthusiastic and popping up with daft ideas. So they keep him on. Most of his ideas are regarded as impractical, too adventurous or plain silly. But somewhere in the company someone picks up one of his wilder thoughts and promotes it. It gets noticed because it is different and fresh. For the next three years he produces a series of unusable ideas. He becomes increasingly irritating and is fired. Now the odd thing is that it is not as difficult for him to get a new job as he thought, because a number of people remember that rather good idea he produced three years ago. They prefer to gloss over the failures. His name on the payroll adds a bit of glamour to his new company. But the same process happens again. Once more he is fired, but now there are two pieces of work that make her memorable. He’s not just a one-off. His whole life is lived like this, a series of ups and downs. But when he reaches the age of forty he has a track record. He has become a respected person. Still reckless Rich, but more in demand than ever because he failed to conform."
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 38-41 (Blog Author Note: Originally ‘Reckless Erica’ but just had to insert my name in there for the following two reasons: 1) I just so saw myself in the above quote, and 2) I definitely believe it’s something to aspire to. I would rather die than end up a lifeless, boring steady Eddie.)

“Most people are reasonable. That’s why they only do reasonably well.” Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 21

“Old golfers don’t win (it’s not an absolute, it’s a general rule). Why? The older golfer can hit the ball as far as the young one. He chips and putts equally well. And will probably have a better knowledge of the course. So why does he take the extra stroke that denies him victory? Experience. He knows the downside, what happens if it goes wrong, which makes him more cautious. The young player is either ignorant or reckless to caution. That is his edge. It is the same with all of us. Knowledge makes us play safe. The secret is to stay childish.”
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 44

“Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you’ve got, and fix it as you go.”
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 53

CALL YOURSELF AN ARTIST. In the 1980s Ron Mueck was a model maker. He made the back of the man’s head (right) for an advertisement. His fee was modest. A famous art collector discovered his work. His status changed from model maker to artist. His work is now valued at one hundred times what it was worth. How you present yourself is how others will present you.” Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 21

“My father was a modest man, and like all modest men he tried to keep his ego in check. He did a pretty good job of it, remaining anonymous for most of his life. He was an artist. When my mother died, my father was ninety. He no longer had someone to show his work to, to gain approval. Without realizing it, he found his ego. His work became funny, barmy and unique. He even started calling himself a genius. I wouldn’t go as far as that, but when he died all I wanted from his estate were the sketch books of his final years. Without his ego he would never have become the man he was. If that is what ego does for the quality of your inventiveness, I hope to further develop mine.
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 21

“Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour films, poems, photographs, conversations, dreams, trees, architecture, street signs, clouds, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable. Originality is non-existent. Don’t bother concealing your thievery-celebrate it if you feel like it. Remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from-it’s where you take them to.’Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 21
(Blogger Note: And that's why I'm stealing these quotes!)

“For a creative person starting out on a career, try not thinking about film or media or whatever. Think about money. It’s honest.”
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 21

“DON’T STAY TOO LONG IN A JOB!”
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 102

“RESIGN. IT’S THE WAY TO SHOW YOU MEAN BUSINESS. If people constantly reject your ideas or what you have to offer, resign. You can’t keep fighting and losing, that makes you a problem. If you are good, and right for the job, your resignation will not be accepted. You’ll be re-signed, on your terms. If they accept your resignation, you were in the wrong job, and it is better for you to move on. It takes courage, but it is the right move.
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 104

"FIRED! IT’S THE BEST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. Things not going too well at work? Frightened of being fired? Waking up at 4a.m. worried sick? Okay. Just imagine your were fired ten days ago. Since you had no choice but to accept it, you might as well look at it as a good thing. You will have to arrange your life differently. You hated your situation anyway. You must begin again. It’s a wonderful opportunity for you. Literally, they let you go."
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 105

"DON’T GO TO UNIVERSITY. Going to university usually means, ‘I don’t know what to do with my life, so I’ll go to university.’ A gap year confirms this. They are delaying tactics. Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to do early in life. The majority have great difficulty in putting their assets to useful purpose. I feel sorry for these people. It isn’t easy for them. But university is not going to solve the problem. Whereas going to work well."
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 110

“If you start work at eighteen, you are five years ahead of someone starting at twenty-three. At twenty-three, for all education, you will still be the office junior. If you get your career decisions wrong when you are wrong, you can alter course, but at twenty-eight is a bit late to find out you are in the wrong job. So don’t go to university unless the subject of learning is close to your heart. Go to work and do your learning in the school of life.
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 111

"MUM! I’VE FAILED MY EXAMS. DISASTER? IT’S AN ACHIEVEMENT. It’s commonplace to do all right or be somewhere in the middle. Being bottom or near the bottom has merit. It means you are not interested in the run-of-the-mill way in which you are being taught. Your mind is elsewhere. Fantasizing. Many people who bottomed out at school, not due to their past marks, because of their imagination. So in order to succeed in your failure, you have to think of your failed situation as a good place to start from. Good marks will not secure you an interesting life. Your imagination will."
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 114-115

"If you don’t have the degrees or fees to go to the university, just turn up. If you want to be in a job where they won’t accept you, just turn up. Go to all the lectures, run errands, make yourself useful. Let people get to know you. Eventually they will accept you, because you are part of their community. They will not only respect your perseverance but will like you for it. It may take time, a year say, but you will be in, not out."
Whatever you think, think the opposite, Pg. 118

"Have you noticed how the cleverest people at school are not those who make it in life? What you learn at school are facts, known facts. Your job at school is to accumulate and remember facts. The more you can remember, the better you do. Those who fail at school are not interested in facts; or maybe the facts are not put to them in a way they find interesting. Some people simply don’t have a great faculty for memory. It doesn’t mean they are stupid. It means their imagination hasn’t been fired up by academic tuition. People who are conventionally clever get jobs on their qualifications (the past), not on their desire to succeed (the future). Very simply, they get overtaken by those who continually strive to be better than they are. As long as the goal is there, there is no limit to anyone’s achievement."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 20-21

“ENERGY. IT’S 75% of the job. If you haven’t got it be nice.”
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 20-21

"DO NOT COVET YOUR IDEAS. Give away everything you know, and more will come back to you. You will remember from school other students preventing you from seeing their answers by placing their arm around their exercise book or exam paper. It is the same at work, people are secretive with ideas, ‘Don’t tell them that, they’ll take the credit for it.’ The problem with hoarding is you end up living off your reserves. Eventually you’ll become stale. 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. Ideas are open knowledge. Don’t claim ownership. They’re not your ideas anyway, they’re someone else’s. They are out there floating by on the ether. You just have to put yourself in a frame of mind to pick them up."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 20-21

"DON’T LOOK FOR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY. THE ONE YOU HAVE IN HAND IS THE OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE always waiting for the perfect brief from the perfect client. It almost never happens. You’re probably working on a job or project right now and saying ‘This is boring, let’s just deal with it and get it over with. We’ll make the next one good.’ Whatever is on your desk right now, that’s the one. Make it the best you possibly can. It may not be great, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you did the best you possibly could, and you may learn something from it. And you’re always free to do an alternative that does satisfy your creative standards. Good briefs just don’t come along. That’s true, even if you’ve earned a reputation for doing good work (although that helps). Successful solutions are often made by rebelling against people’s briefs."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 32-33

“If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules.”It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 20-21

“The perosn who doesn’t make any mistakes is unlikely to make anything.”It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 50

"IT’S WRONG TO BE RIGHT. Being right is based upon knowledge and experience and is often provable. Knowledge comes from the past, so it’s safe. It is also out of date. It’s the opposite of originality. Experience is built from solutions to old solutions and problems. The old situations are probably different from present ones, so that old solutions will have to be bent to fit new problems (and possibly fit badly). Also the likelihood is that, if you’ve got the experience, you’ll probably use it. This is lazy. Experience is the opposite of being creative. If you can prove you’re right, you’re set in concrete. You cannot move with the times or other people. Being right is also being boring. Your mind is closed. You are not open to new ideas. You are rooted in your own rightness, which is arrogant. Arrogance is a valuable tool, but only if used sparingly. Worst of all, being right has a tone of morality about it. To be anything else sounds weak or fallible, and people who are right would hate to be thought fallible. So: it’s wrong to be right, because people who are right are rooted in the past, rigid-minded, dull and smug. There’s no talking to them."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 54-55

“IT’S RIGHT TO BE WRONG. Start being wrong and suddenly anything is possible. You’re no longer trying to be infallible. You’re in the unknown. There’s no way of knowing what can happen, but there’s more chance of it being amazing than if you try to be right. Of course, being wrong is a risk. People worry about suggesting stupid ideas because of what others will think. You will have been in meetings where new thinking has been called for, at your original suggestion. Instead of saying, ‘That’s the kind of suggestion that leads us to a novel solution’, the room goes quiet, they look up to the ceiling, roll their eyes and return to the discussion. Risks are a measure of people. People who won’t take them are trying to preserve what they have. People who do take them often end by having more. Some risks have a future, and some people call them wrong. But being right may be like walking backwards proving where you’ve been. Being wrong isn’t in the future, or in the past. Being wrong isn’t anywhere but being here. Best place to be, eh?”It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 56-57

"DON’T BE AFRAID OF SILLY IDEAS. We all get mental blocks. We need to get unblocked. The way to get unblocked is to lose our inhibitions and stop worrying about being right. The comedian John Cleese puts it rather more eloquently, ‘High creativity is responding to situations without critical thought’ (playfulness). If you are in a deadlock here are a couple of tricks you might try.
1. Do the opposite of what the solution requires.
2. Look out the window and whatever catches your eye, a bird, a television aerial, an old man on crutches or whatever, make that the solution to your problem. Maybe the next spread will help you with your illogic."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 58

"GETTING FIRED CAN BE A POSITIVE CAREER MOVE. Being fired often means that you are at odds with your company. It means the job isn’t right for you. I have been fired five times, and each time my career took a step forward. Being fired used to be a negative on your resume. Now some headhunters find it an asset because it can show initiative."
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. Pg. 70