5 great reasons to read more and 3 practical strategies to get used to reading.
"I read in self-defense."
Woody Allen.
How many books have you read in the last year? Fifty? Ten? One? Nobody?! According to Istat, more than half 53,2% to be exact, did not read a single book in the 12 months preceding the interview. Not only that, just the 15,1% of the interviewees read at least one book a month, about 12 in a year.
It is therefore difficult to be surprised if our country appears tired, without ideas and ready to vote who shoots the biggest on television (always this damned television). In fact, there is a precise correlation between the percentage of readers in a particular country and the economic, cultural and social well-being of that same country.
Uhm… interesting this hottie socio-political-statistician Andre: did a tome of Political Economy fall into your head last night ?! You should just thank me for still being here reading your bullshit: books are old stuff, they are useless!
Reading: the secret habit of successful people
We are often looking for that secret that can revolutionize our life, that makes us turn the page. We tirelessly search for the most abstruse techniques and methods, forgetting a simple reality:
"Successful people have a habit of doing what ordinary people don't like to do."
A.Gray
The statistics leave little doubt about it: the Spanish medium he does not read or read very little. What about successful people? Interviews, biographies, autobiographies all agree on one thing: the vast majority of successful men (and women) are avid readers.
According to the New York Times, Steve Jobs he had an obsession with English poets, primarily William Blake. Phil Knight, founder of the sports brand Nike, so venerates his library that guests are forced to visit it barefoot. David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group, a private equity that manages nearly $ 154 billion (yes, you read that right, billions), has a habit of reading a dozen books… a week! Let's not forget then Winston Churchill, the charismatic British Prime Minister during World War II, who won the Nobel Prize, not for peace (as many believe), but for literature.
Are you still convinced that it is a coincidence that successful people devour books and ordinary people, instead, play Ruzzle ?! (I caught you, huh ?!). There are specific reasons that lead successful people to read. Those same reasons explain why reading pushes you to become a successful person.
5 great reasons to read
There are at least 5 great reasons to make reading your # 1 habit:
- Reading makes you smarter. Numerous studies have shown how habitual reading allows you to acquire a broader vocabulary, develop new synaptic connections, and strengthen your reasoning skills. It is no coincidence that reading (especially fast reading) is one of the key tools I suggest for learning take twice as many exams in half the time.
- Reading makes you more creative. The best 10 ideas I've had in the last 10 years I gained by reading. The habit of reading not only allows you to acquire new knowledge, it also allows you to develop creative ideas, applying that new knowledge to unexpected areas.
- Reading makes you more seductive. Let's say, absurdly, that you don't give a damn about getting smarter and more creative, but, on the contrary, you care a lot. attract women o seduce men. Well, if you've ever found yourself in front of a girl who made your heart beat faster, without being able to put together 2 sentences of complete meaning, now you know perfectly well why reading can make you more seductive (the same goes for young ladies). Director John Waters has very clear ideas about the relationship between books and sex:
“If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t f*ck ’em.”
John Waters.
- Reading helps you fight stress. An interesting experiment, conducted by neuropsychologist David Lewis of the University of Sussex, has shown how reading, even for just 6 minutes, can reduce stress by 68%. Reading is therefore one of the most effective strategies to combat stress.
- Reading is your best investment. According to Warren Buffett, the greatest investor of all time (a pretty reliable source), the most powerful investment ever is what we make in ourselves. For the past 80 years, Buffett has had an obsession with going to sleep every night a little smarter than he was in the morning. Here are his exact words at his company's latest conference, Berkshire Hathaway, in Omaha: “Read whatever comes your way. Be a sponge. Never stop learning. "
I hope that what you have read so far has convinced you of the imperative need to read more. Yet, a little something is still missing. How can you read more? Form a real daily habit of reading ?! Here are some practical strategies to start with.
How to read more
My passion for reading has developed hand in hand with my passion for personal growth. In fact, I have always loved reading, but in recent years I have come to literally devour any book I have come across, reading on average 1 book per week (52 books per year). But how did I "reduce" myself in this way ?! ;-)
- I follow a strict media diet. Since my last move to Milan, I have decided not to buy a TV: the best choice of the last 5 years. Getting rid of the TV freed up precious minutes in my days, allowing me to focus on my personal projects and… on reading. In recent years I have also significantly reduced the consumption of online newspapers: you should try one too media diet. Replacing useless, manipulated and potentially negative news with new ideas and readings that inspire and motivate you can make a huge difference in your life.
- I don't miss an opportunity to read. Our days are full of downtime: commuter trips to go to the office / university, the waits at the super / post office / bank, the long queues in the car, and so on and so forth. Personally I hate wasting these precious minutes of my life, and so ... I read. Instead of obsessively checking your Facebook page: read. Instead of updating your email: read. Instead of sponging on your iPhone with Ruzzle: read.
- I use an ebook reader. If you are a purist of reading, just hearing the word e-book reader I am sure has triggered a bout of hives: I was like that too. Then, about a month ago, I decided to buy my first one Kindle Paperwhite. Open Celery! The Kindle has blossomed a second love of reading: I read everywhere, read anything, read more GetPersonalGrowth. Small service information: if you are also a fan of the Kindle, the entire collection of blog articles is already available in mobi (and epub) format ; in the coming months, I will also publish instant-books of personal growth exclusively for the Amazon reader. Man forewarned ...
What is your relationship with reading? If you are also part of the "Book Eaters Club", click those nice social buttons on your left; if you like, I'd like to know in the comments why you love to read and what was the last book you read in this period. Since I am the "host", I break the ice: well, because I love reading I think I have explained it, the book I'm reading right now is… well, too easy! Try to guess it: you can find it among those in the section Resources.
I wish you a week full of new reading and new ideas.
