The 26 Major Advantages to Reading More Books and Why 3 in 4 People Are Being Shut Out of Success
If you are one of the non-book readers who feels you “don’t need no
stinking books”, here are 26 great reasons to start the habit…before you
are left behind!
1. Reading is an active mental process - Unlike TV, books make you to
use your brain. By reading, you think more and become smarter.
2. It is a fundamental skill builder - Every good course on the planet
has a matching book to go with it. Why? Because books help clarify
difficult subjects. Books provide information that goes deeper than just
classroom discussion.
3. Improves your vocabulary - Remember in elementary school when you
learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of
the other words in the sentence? You get the same benefit from book
reading. While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find
yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn’t be otherwise.
4. Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places - What is your
favorite vacation spot? I would bet you read a lot about that
destination. The more information the better. Books can expand your
horizons by letting you see what other cities and countries have to
offer before you visit them.
5. Improves concentration and focus - Like I pointed out before, reading
books takes brain power. It requires you to focus on what you are
reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails
that might contain small chunks of information. Books tell the whole
story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you
will get better at concentration.
6. Builds self-esteem - By reading more books, you become better
informed and more of an expert on the topics you read about. This
expertise translates into higher self esteem. Since you are so well
read, people look to you for answers. Your feelings about yourself can
only get better.
7. Improves memory - Many studies show if you don’t use your memory, you
lose it. Crossword puzzles are an example of a word game that staves
off Alzheimer’s. Reading, although not a game, helps you stretch your
memory muscles in a similar way. Reading requires remembering details,
facts and figures and in literature, plot lines, themes and characters.
8. Improves your discipline - Obviously, if 1 in 4 people don’t read one
book per year, then there is a discipline issue. There may be many
causes for people not reading books such as the “quips” of information
you can get on the Internet. TV is also a major distracter. Making time
to read is something we all know we should do, but who schedules book
reading time every day? Very few… That’s why adding book reading to your
daily schedule and sticking to it, improves discipline.
9. Learn anywhere - Books are portable. You can take them almost anywhere. As such, you can learn almost anywhere too.
10. Improves creativity - by reading more books and exposing yourself to
new and more complete information, you will also be able to come up
with more creative ideas. As a personal example, I read many, many books
on IT Networking. So often, when IT Admins are stumped with a problem, I
can come up with a creative (smack your head simple) solution that
isn’t written anywhere. But the reason I can do that is because I have
read so many books on the subject, I can combine lessons from all of
them into new solutions.
11. Gives you something to talk about - Have you ever run out of stuff
to talk about with your best friend, wife or husband? This can be
uncomfortable. It might even make married couples wonder if their
marriage is in trouble. However, if you read a lot of books, you’ll
always have something to talk about. You can discuss various plots in
the novels you read, you can discuss the stuff you are learning in the
business books you are reading as well. The possibilities of sharing are
endless.
12. Books are inexpensive entertainment - What’s the average price of a
movie ticket these days? $8 - $10? You can buy a paperback for that
price and be entertained for many hours more. If you have a used
bookstore nearby, you can get them even cheaper.
Tip: Once you make reading a habit, you’ll enjoy reading the books in your chosen career as well.
13. You can learn at your own pace - Where formal education requires
time commitments, books have no late-bells or hourly commitments. So you
can learn at your own pace when you read books.
14. New mental associations - I touched on this above. As you read more
books the depth and breadth of your knowledge expands and your ability
to form new associations increases. In reading a book to discover the
solution to one problem, you find the solution to others you may not
have considered.
15. Improves your reasoning skills - Books for professionals contain
arguments for or against the actions within. A book on cooking argues
that Chili powder goes well with beef and goes poorly with ice-cream. A
book on building a business argues that testing an idea for
profitability before setting up is a smart strategy and argues against
just barreling forward with the idea without testing.
You too will be able to reason better with the knowledge you gain. Some
of the arguments will rub off on you. Others you will argue against.
Regardless, you’ll be reasoning better.
16. Builds your expertise - Brian Tracy has said one way to become an
expert in your chosen field is to read 100 books on the subject. He also
said by continuing the same for 5 years you’ll become an international
expert. With the Internet and blogs, you could hone that time down to
2-3 years if you follow through.
17. Saves money - Apart from saving money on entertainment expenses.
Reading books that help you develop your skills saves money. Reading
books on how someone went bankrupt will be a warning to you against
repeating their mistakes. Reading a book on how to build your own
backyard deck saves the expense of hiring a contractor.
18. Decreases mistakes - Although I would never suggest putting off an
important goal because you fear making mistakes, it is still important
to sharpen the saw (link to A.L. post). When you gather the deep and
wide wisdom that books can provide, you are less apt to make mistakes.
19. You’ll discover surprises - As you read more books as a source of
information, you’ll learn stuff you weren’t looking for. I’ve read many
great quotes on life and love by reading books on marketing. I’ve
learned facts about biology from reading about chemistry. Heck, I’ve
picked up some facts about history while reading about programming.
Since so many subjects intertwine it’s almost impossible not to learn
something other than the book’s subject.
20. Decreased boredom - One of the rules I have is if I am feeling
bored, I will pick up a book and start reading. What I’ve found by
sticking to this is that I become interested in the book’s subject and
stop being bored. I mean, if you’re bored anyway, you might as well be
reading a good book, right?
21. Can change your life - How many times have you heard of a book
changing someone’s life? For me, it was Your Erroneous Zones (link) by
Wayne Dyer - which is the first self-development book I read. It opened
my eyes to a whole new way of thinking that was not depressing and dull.
It was the first step in my path of choosing my own life and being free
of old habitual thought patterns.
There are many, many other books out there that have a reputation for
changing lives including Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free
Productivity, Handbook to Higher Consciousness, Atlas Shrugged , A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn, Lord of the Rings and Black Boy to name a few. But
you can start in your chosen field and work your way outward.
22. Can help break a slump - Being in a slump is uncomfortable. If you
are a writer, you call it writer’s block. If you are a salesperson, it’s
called - not making a sale in 23 days. But a slump can be a crossroads.
It might be you are wavering on your commitment to a particular project
or (with marriage) person. Or a slump can be simply a lack of new
ideas. Books are a great source of ideas, big and small. So if you find
yourself in a slump, pick a book on the portion of your life you are
slump-ing and get to reading!
23. Reduces stress - Many avid readers (including me) unwind by reading.
Compared with the person who gets home from work and immediately turns
on the TV news, you are going from work stress to crime stress. But it’s
not just news. TV as a source of relaxation is too full of loud
commercials and fast moving (often violent) images. If relaxation is
something you want, turn off the TV or computer and pick up a book.
24. Gets you away from digital distractions - If you, like many others,
feel overwhelmed with the flashing lights, beeps, boops and ring-a-dings
that burn up our computing lives, then give books a chance. When you
find some good books, you’ll find yourself drawn into the subject
matter. You’ll want to spend more time reading. By spending more time
reading books, you’ll have less time for the plethora of the digital
gadgets begging for our attention.
25. You’ll make more money - If you make a serious effort to read in
your chosen career, your expertise in that specialty will increase. As
you become more specialized and learned, you join a smaller group of
more qualified people. By being part of the small few with the highest
level knowledge your pay will increase. It’s simple supply and demand.
26. The book is always better than the movie - except for perhaps No Country for Old Men.
What are some of the most important books you have read? What is the
title that changed your life? If you’ve found a book that made a major
change in how you work, live or love
