If you’ve had the chance to go back and take a look at some of my older posts then you’ll know that I am a strong advocate of reading.
But it wasn’t always that way.
In fact, if you knew me in my college years you’d ask me where all my books were.
Why? Cuz most of the time I didn’t buy them.
I would borrow them from friends when I needed to (ie. tests) or simply not bother reading them.
I even made sure to take classes that didn’t have a long reading list.
What can I say? I was cheap.
And, yes, I was lazy.
These days I have most books than I can get through. For every one book I read, I buy two.
A client the other day told me that her professor back in university once said, “It’s not important to read the book, it’s important to have the book.”
She went on to say that when she first heard that she thought he was crazy, but now that a few years have passed she realizes the wise wisdom in his words.
Just having books around is conducive to learning.
At first we might use the old “I’m busy” routine and leave them untouched.
But if you keep seeing them, day after day, sooner or later, you’re likely to take one or two down and start working your way through them.
And who knows, if you like what you find, you might be inclined to pick up a few more.
Soon, you might even surprise yourself with how much you enjoy reading.
That’s what happened to me.
And while I do enjoy reading a good novel from time to time, for me, it’s mainly about filling my mind with new ideas.
Good business ideas, relationship ideas, investment ideas, time management ideas, travel ideas, pretty much any good ideas.
In a world with technology changing almost daily, books often get overlooked.
They’re not flashy.
They’re not sexy.
But they get the job done.
They possess the wisdom of many of the greatest leaders and thinkers of history.
So start your collection now.
You’ll be glad you did.
Adrian Shepherd
I didn’t like reading, because it took time to finish one book.
But now, I realized reading enriches our knowledge and life.
Also, as books include some principles, knowledge and experiences of others,
we are able to complement what we are missing.
I think when we pick up a book to read, we need to be ready to learn something new!
Well said…books are the keys to knowledge but so few people understand that and instead use them as an escape in the form of entertainment or simply bypass them all together. I hope more people figure out just how powerful books can be.