The first step to building any of your strengths is raising the standards to which you hold yourself -- commit to high standards Few things are more important in life than avoiding the wrong people. It’s tempting to think that we are strong enough to avoid adopting the worst of others, but that’s not how it typically works. Becoming like the people around you means that over time you come to adopt their standards. If you want different results than other people, you need a higher standard. Find examplars -- When you choose the right exemplars—people with standards higher than yours—you can transcend the standards you’ve inherited from parents, friends, and acquaintances. Your exemplars show you what your standards should be [[Find different aspects worth learning from everyone]] a personal board of directors [[It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society]]