A wise and good man will turn examples of all sorts to his own advantage. The good he will make his patterns, and strive to equal or excel them. The bad he will by all means avoid.

Everyone you watch is teaching you something, including the people you would never want to be. Admiration gives you a pattern to work towards, and irritation gives you a shape to steer clear of, and the second lesson is often the sharper of the two because it comes with a feeling attached. Most people only harvest the first kind, then waste the rest on complaint.

Name one person whose way of working you would like to borrow, and one habit in someone else you have quietly promised yourself you will never repeat. Write both down. Then check this week which of the two you are actually closer to.