It has been said that the person that you will be in five years will be the accumulation of the books you read and the people you surround yourself with today….
So what are you feeding your mind today?
This question provides just one of the reasons why I do my best to spend a significant amount of time reading books each week. It has become something that I enjoy doing, as well as have seen a great benefit from since I started reading on a regular basis since college. Anyone who knew me growing up though, would never have thought that I would have turned out this way. But then again, my parents never thought I’d enjoy vegetables either.
I haven’t always been a big reader. In fact, there was a time in my life that it was quite challenging for me. I have dyslexia. No, this doesn’t mean I read things backwards, as some people may think. This is a learning disability that affects people differently. For me, the best way to describe it is that I felt that at times things became mixed up in my head. No real other way to explain it. I was still able to do well in school, though I never enjoyed reading for pleasure. Until one day…
I will never forget, it was second semester senior year of college, and my brother gave me a book to read. One that was much larger than any book I had ever read for fun before in my life. He said, “Read this. It will be helpful when you’re looking for a job.” I thought to myself, “Love you brother, but if you think I’m reading a book for fun, on top of schoolwork, at the end of college, you’re crazy.” But the next thing I knew, I was spending an extra hour a day at the library just to read that book! Who would have thought?
The book was called, How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. This is a fantastic book for anyone over the age of 16 to read. And my brother was right! This book was great for building professional relationships, something that I didn’t know much about at the time. More importantly for me though, it showed me that I do enjoy reading, when I saw a reason for doing it and that there is a vast amount of useful knowledge out there at our finger tips.
Since then, reading has become a large part of my life. I have been able to find endless amounts of motivation, support, guidance, and knowledge as I continue to build my library. I truly enjoy sharing these books and ideas with others. I love to recommend a book and then find out that the person found it useful in their lives as well!
Speaking bluntly, I don’t think that we read enough as a society. It takes time, effort, and quiet, three things that have become more and more scarce these days. But I believe that if you are able to take 10-20 minutes a day to sit down and read something that will help you improve just a little bit in one facet of your life or another, then before you know it you will be taking massive leaps to enjoying your life even more! It is a challenge to push yourself to grow, no matter who you are.
It takes getting out of your comfort zone to be able to grow, and I believe finding time each day to read something that will provide self growth or make you think is a great way to get out of your comfort zone.
In future blogs I will post about books that are geared to certain topics, but I think that the 10 books in this list are a good way to start or continue to evolve.
Great books to help develop a Champions mindset:
1. Mindset- Carol S. Dweck
2. Quiet Strength- Tony Dungy
3. How Champions Think- Dr. Bob Rotella
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie
5. The Energy Bus- Jon Gordon
6. The Way of the SEAL- Mark Divine
7. Mind Gym- Gary Mack
8. Can’t Hurt Me- David Goggins
9. Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor Frankl
10. Life without Limits- Nick Vujicic
Remember to enjoy the journey!
Jeff
Commentaires