A word to the wise is sufficient
When Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were asked “If you could have one super power what would it be?”, they answered with “being able to read super fast”. If you were to study many of the worlds greatest entrepreneurs you will inevitably find one common trait between all of them, they all read habitually. It has been repeated in the idiom that ‘knowledge is power’, but how many of us actively pursue knowledge?
You have been tricked
Reading books that have not been assigned to us by teachers or lecturers seems so foreign to many of us, it seems like an unnecessary self punishment for the common man. What you need to understand is that we have been programmed to fall into the trap of instant gratification. Society tricks you into investing time into lower consciousness media. Through watching brainless shows such as ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’, or logging in thousands of hours onto your level 90 Blood Elf Mage , you slowly become a shell of your potential. Reading for many seems like the pass time for nerds or geeks, this belief stems from ignorance. Generally people who hold these beliefs do not understand what there is to be gained from reading, so they dismiss it.
What reading can do for you
- Build a Beautiful Mind
Before you can become great you must learn to invest in yourself. Over the past few years people have learned the importance of investing in their health. Millions of people have joined gyms, have taken up diets, joined yoga classes and become more health conscious. It is not uncommon to find people jogging in the morning or exercising in the park. What is becoming uncommon is people training their minds, perhaps this is due to a beautiful mind not being as easy to see as a beautiful body. Just like your body your mind needs training, and reading is perhaps one of the best ways to do this. Reading a good book activates your brain in a variety of ways other media can not. When reading non-fiction your brain is checking the validity of each claim, processing the information being read and comparing it with your current reality within seconds. MRI tests have shown that reading activates certain areas of the brain that are generally not activated through everyday activities.
2. Learn from the best
Have you ever wanted to learn something but didn’t know where to start? Did you ever consider reading a book about it? Many people miss out on learning new skills because they never think about reading about it. Lets say you wanted to be a great bodybuilder, don’t you think that reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Encyclopaedia of Bodybuilding’ would be of some assistance to your goals?. Maybe you wanted to learn about the stock market, perhaps some books on Warren Buffet one of the greatest investors of all times will give you some insight. In any field you can think of, someone who has mastered it has written about it sharing their secrets. They have put years of experience and insight into a book that will cost you a fraction of the value it is giving you. You could essentially buy a book for $20 and read it within a week, and have some insights that might change your life.
3. Be inspired
One of the best reasons to read is to become inspired. It is not uncommon for people who have been depressed to pick up an inspirational book, and change their view on life. If you are lacking in motivation, one of the best ways to gain it is to read about people who have triumphed over adversity. You can learn how Steve Jobs revolutionised Apple or about how Nelson Mandela helped overcome apartheid while you drink your coffee.
But I have no time to read!
Bullshit, if you have time to watch 6 seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’, you can make the time to educate yourself. When you wake up or before you go to bed you can make it a habit to read for 20-30 minutes. At the beginning reading seems boring and you literally might start falling asleep as you read the words, this is normal your brain is just not used to work. Over 2 to 3 weeks reading will become enjoyable and you will look forward to it. On your commute to work if you are catching the train you can read an E-Book on your phone. If you drive to work you can listen to an audio book, anything is better than the radio anyway. When you go for a jog or do the dishes play that audio book and train your mind. They say that the average person spends 1 hour and 45 minutes on the toilet every week, you are on your phone anyway might as well put the time to good use and read an E-book. The average person is said to spend up to 40 minutes browsing Facebook, why don’t you spend as much time empowering yourself?
What should I read?
Well that’s up to you. I highly recommend you spend most your time reading non-fiction if you really want to get the most out of your reading. While fiction is beneficial in its own ways, you will not conquer the world reading ‘Harry Potter’, pick up ‘Meditations’, or “The 48 Laws Of Power’. I also recommend you read auto-biographies from time to time, this way you will ensure you get the word from the horses mouth. Now go liberate yourself with knowledge and read something.
