When I got out of high school, I was convinced that I wasn’t a good reader. But a bartender friend encouraged me to read Flight of the Intruder. It was a fiction novel (not the typical stuff I really enjoyed then), but I was hooked.
After I finished this book, I realized I wasn’t a bad reader; I just didn’t really enjoy reading. So, when I started reading self-help books, I moved through them at a slow pace, but I got through them.
Then, I discovered books on tape (yes, cassette tapes!). And, that was unicorns and rainbows for me! I would keep them in the back of the car, although that wasn’t the greatest idea since they would melt. Then, the CD arrived. They scratched but didn’t melt.
This evolution of ways to read continued. Next was being able to listen to them online. That was cool. And then, the most amazing invention (okay, maybe not most amazing, but in the top three) came along… Audible! I could listen to books anywhere and at whatever speed I preferred. I tend to lean towards 2x the normal speed, which drives my family nuts!
You might be wondering if this post is about the history of books or the idea of learning and growing every day. It’s the latter. If I had stopped reading after high school, I would have never had the opportunity to learn from the thousands of books I’ve read to-date. I credit books to so much of my personal growth and professional success that I am sure I wouldn’t be who (or where) I am today without those books.
To change your life, make more money, be a better spouse, get in better shape, or {insert any other goal here}, find a book. I am confident that no matter what your goal is, a great book has already been written that you could learn from.
Learning and growing are crucial to personal growth. If you were like me and have said to yourself, “I just hate reading,” or “I suck at reading,” try a different approach. Listen to books. If you’ve tried that and it’s not your jam, ask someone who knows more about the topic than you do to share some knowledge. If you don’t want to do that, maybe your goals aren’t goals; they are just desires.
There is so much to learn in life, but that can only happen if you make a choice and take action to do it.
Life is good.
Jeff
