Ideas, knowledge, skills, inspiration, and more are available to you through the magic of reading. More than any other single habit, reading gives you the power to learn and grow. I have used my reading skills to learn computer skills (WordPress, website design, Excel), history, and finance. To continue my growth, I have set annual goals to read a certain number of books. I’ve already exceeded my 2015 goal to read 30 books.
There are an abundance of benefits that entrepreneurs, authors, CEOs, and other successful people receive from reading. All reading is helpful in keeping your mind sharp. However, reading literature related to your goals will help you be more efficient in reaching those goals. If your goal is to improve your income, focus your reading on books that relate to your career.
Do You Want To Learn How To Manage Your Money?
As one of the most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffet’s success habits deserve to be studied. His daily routine includes reading several newspapers, business reports, and books. As Buffet has explained in interviews, reading Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor gave him the foundation for his investment model.
Do You Want To Grow Your Business With New Opportunities?
Before he became known for his charity work, Bill Gates co-founded one of the most successful technology companies of all time. Reading and learning new ideas is one of the secrets of his success. Luckily, we can now read Bill Gates’s reading list on his website. Recent book recommendations include Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty and How Asia Works by Joe Studwell. Reading is a great way to learn about new countries and markets.
Do You Want To Gain Lessons and Encouragement From Great Women and Men of the Past?
Author and marketing expert Ryan Holiday recommends reading biographies. On his recommendation, I read Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow in 2014 and it was outstanding. As Holiday points out, biographies teach us how real people have overcome significant problems. If you have ever felt alone in a challenge, there is probably a biography that has answers (and inspiration) to help get you through the problem.
Do You Want To Get Started With Reading Every Single Day?
Getting started with a new reading habit is daunting for some people. If that describes you, then start small. Commit to reading one page in the morning from a book while you eat breakfast. You can gradually increase it as you start to read more. As a general rule, I read from a book for 25 minutes each morning — it is a great way to start your day with new ideas and inspiration. If you prefer to read in the evening, you may want to read fiction so that you can better relax.
Are You Bored During Your Commute? Use Audiobooks!
Did you know that Audible.com has more than 100,000 audio books available for download? It is a great way to add books to your daily routine. For example, you can listen to books during your exercise routine. You can also enjoy audiobooks during your commute to and from work. The average commuting time in the US is 25 minutes — that’s nearly an hour of audiobook-listening time you can use each day!
Do You Want To Get Paid Like An Expert By Reading?
In our economy, experts with specialized knowledge tend to be the most highly paid. For example, specialized doctors tend to earn more money than non-specialist doctors (e.g. in 2011, specialized surgeons in the U.S. earned close to $500,000 per year, more than double what generalists earn).
How can you apply this concept to grow your income through reading?
Spend one hour every day of the year reading to advance your knowledge. To speed the process along, consider starting a focused program of study. For example, you may want to focus your reading on earning a credential such as the Project Management Professional certification. Alternately, you may also decide to read the best books in a given field (e.g. the Personal MBA’s 99 best business books). If you keep up your learning over several years, you will become an expert in your field.
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