How Do We Continue To Become A Better Version Of Ourselves?
I didn’t always love reading! Looking back on my school report cards (yes, I kept a few of them) I find it hard to understand why I love learning as much as I do. Clearly, that was not the case back when the report cards were handed to me. In school, I could be and often was, described as a mediocre student at best. I showed glimpses of potential. Teachers often said the same thing; I was distracted and demonstrated a lack of focus.
The main reason for my lack of focus sat in the back row of the class. Let’s call him David.
David Determined How High I Would Fly
Apart from being the high school bully, David managed to create, at least for me, an atmosphere of unease in each of the classrooms that he and I shared, and they were many. How could I have a passion for learning? All I wanted to do was survive until the school bell!
In time, however, I discovered a superb hiding place; the library. David wouldn’t darken the doorway. As a happy consequence, I got curious about all those books which lined the walls. What did they have to say? How could so many books be written? What ideas were hidden there that I would never know?
Human Beings Thrive In Supportive Environments
People often tell me that they really want to grow, but “when the rubber meets the road” so they say, there is no “umption in the gumption”.
If you want to be a learner, then hang out with other people who learn.
Their behavior, habits, and language of curiosity will rub off on you. When you think about it, this growth by association applies to just about everything in our lives.
At our leadership workshops, I drag around a few bags of books from my library. I arrange them on a couple of tables at the front of the room in order to use them as props to refer to when I am discussing certain concepts and principles of leadership. It’s thrilling to see participants wandering over to the tables during our coffee breaks to flick through the pages of a book or two. They are curious, just like I was in the high school library.
Phil, I Don’t Like Reading!
Not everyone enjoys reading books, so I always suggest that there are other ways of baiting your curiosity and finding new ideas.
You can listen to audible books, watch TED talks, or tune into beneficial podcasts. When is the last time you watched a documentary?
That said, I would encourage you to try printed books – even for 2 pages a day! Science tells us that it is a powerful potion for our brains.
Seven Reasons to Try a Printed Book
- You absorb more information.
- They help children become better readers.
- They’re easier on the eyes.
- You’re less likely to get distracted.
- They can help you sleep better.
- Having a library at home is linked to higher academic achievement.
- Reading is contagious.
No doubt you could list other reasons. One I favor is my ability to re-read over and over and think about what I just read. Or the brilliant use of colored pens and how things stick with me better when I take the time to mark and make personal notes.
A Plan to Read A Book A Month – Or a Week
The arithmetic of reading shows us that if you read at an average speed of 300 words per minute, can read a 300-page book in 3 hours. If you were able to carve out 10 minutes a day – every day – you would read Atomic Habits, James Clear’s brilliant book in 18 days.
Most non-fiction books are between 350 to 400 pages. Another favorite of mine, The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, is 270 pages.
At 10 minutes a day, you would be reading 2 books a month which is 24 a year!
Just imagine what you would learn in a year from reading 24 books. It’s not only information you gather – ideas can change you, and you can change your life – and the lives of others.
For each of the six modules of our Leadership Accelerator Program, I share a list of twenty-five books to inspire the students to grow, learn and evolve.
At the end of 2021, I will share a list here of my top ten favorite books that I have read this past year. Perhaps you can add them to your list as well.
