Become the kind of person you would admire Meaning Factcheck Usage

Become the kind of person you would admire… it sounds simple, right? But this is one of those deceptively powerful ideas that flips the entire script on personal development. Instead of chasing external validation, you’re building from the inside out. It’s about creating a version of yourself that you, yourself, are genuinely proud of.

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Table of Contents

• Meaning
• Explanation
• Origin & Factcheck
• Context
• Usage Examples
• FAQ

Meaning

At its core, this quote is about internalizing your standards of excellence. It’s a shift from asking “What do others think of me?” to asking the far more powerful question: “What do *I* think of me?”

Explanation

Let me break this down the way it hit me when I first really got it. We spend so much time trying to impress bosses, colleagues, peers… we’re constantly looking outward for the scorecard. Tracy’s genius here is that he makes you the ultimate judge. Think about it. Who is that person you truly look up to? They’re probably disciplined, right? They keep their word. They’re competent. They handle pressure with grace.

Now, here’s the kicker: your job is to close the gap between you and that idealized version. Every decision, from hitting the gym when you don’t want to, to delivering a project early, to choosing kindness in a frustrating moment—it’s all data points. And you’re the one grading the paper. It builds a kind of self-respect that no external promotion can ever give you.

Quote Summary

Context	Attributes
Original Language	English (3668)
Category	Personal Development (697)
Topics	character (31), integrity (42)
Literary Style	philosophical (434)
Emotion / Mood	inspiring (392)
Overall Quote Score	80 (256)

Origin & Factcheck

This comes straight from Brian Tracy’s 2001 book, Get Paid More and Promoted Faster. It’s a classic from the American self-help and business strategy space. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this specific phrasing is Tracy’s.

Attribution Summary

Context	Attributes
Author	Brian Tracy (375)
Source Type	Book (4032)
Source/Book Name	Get Paid More and Promoted Faster (58)
Origin Timeperiod	Contemporary (1615)
Original Language	English (3668)
Authenticity	Verified (4032)

Where is this quotation located?

Quotation	Become the kind of person you would admire and respect
Book Details	Publication Year/Date: 2002; ISBN: 978-1576751985; Last edition: 2002, Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Number of pages: 208.
Where is it?	Chapter: Character and Integrity; Approximate page from 2002 edition

Context

It’s crucial to remember this wasn’t in some abstract philosophy book. This was in a book literally about advancing your career. Tracy’s point is brilliantly pragmatic: becoming the person you admire isn’t just a nice, fluffy goal. It’s the most direct path to professional success because that person—the one you respect—is inherently more valuable, reliable, and promotable.

Usage Examples

So how do you actually use this? It’s a daily practice.

• For a Manager: Before a tough conversation with an employee, ask: “How would the leader I admire handle this? With blunt force, or with firm empathy?” Then act accordingly.
• For an Entrepreneur: When tempted to cut a corner on product quality, the question becomes: “Would the founder I respect ship this?” The answer is instantly clear.
• For Anyone Feeling Stuck: Make a literal list. Write down 5-7 qualities of someone you deeply admire. Now, your personal development plan is simply to embody one of those qualities each day. It’s that simple, and that difficult.

To whom it appeals?

Context	Attributes
Theme	Advice (652)
Audiences	coaches (1277), leaders (2619), professionals (751), students (3111)
Usage Context/Scenario	character development (3), leadership talks (101), mentoring programs (1), personal growth sessions (40)

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FAQ

Question: Isn’t this just being hard on yourself?

Answer: It’s the opposite, actually. It’s about building self-compassion through integrity. When you know you’re acting in ways you respect, your self-criticism naturally quiets down.

Question: What if I don’t even know who I admire?

Answer: That’s the first assignment. Read biographies, study people in your field, even fictional characters. Find your north stars. You can’t sail toward a horizon you haven’t defined.

Question: How is this different from “Fake it till you make it”?

Answer: Great question. “Faking it” is about external perception. This is about internal transformation. You’re not faking it for others; you’re building it for yourself. The external results are just a byproduct.