There’s A Book for That

Each year I promise myself that I will be a better steward of my library. That I will stop buying books until I’ve read those I already own. That I will start giving more books away so that their words can continue in the river of all things good. And each year I seem to fall short on both of those resolutions. Does that sound familiar?

As an avid reader and student of personal leadership and development, one thing I know to be true is this: You cannot read or consume everything.  No matter how much we want to (or perhaps need to!) it’s simply not going to happen. So how do we deal with conundrum then of not only how much but what we should be reading?

Henry David Thoreau offers this advice: “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”

How then do we choose the BEST books first? The answer to that question never changes. It is very simple. You begin with the end in mind. Why are you reading? What do you need to achieve from the words you consume? Once you know that, it begins to narrow the field a great deal. And as for how much, that’s personal and it also relates to why you are reading in the first place.

Let’s look at some possible reasons.

·         Inspiration / Motivation

·         Instruction / Mastery

·         Enjoyment / Entertainment

·         Reflection / Insights

This list however is just the first half of the equation. Inspiration and/or motivation in what area of your life? Instruction and mastery for what skills? How do you define enjoyment and entertainment? Is that fiction? Perhaps it’s biographies or autobiographies. It may end up inspiring you, but the idea first might be to just entertain you. You can see how one question just leads to the next until its clear what you’re looking for.

Reading is a wonderful way to improve ourselves and our lives. There are studies that show that more than just increasing our knowledge and awareness it also improves memory, can slow the mental aging process, reduce stress, improve sleep, strengthen our reasoning skills, and even increase our empathy for others. So even without having a specific reason, you will benefit. But how much more powerful to direct that activity for targeted results!

Still not sure where to start? If reading is a new growth habit you are introducing, allow this advice that may seem counter-intuitive at first. Do not start by choosing a book. Start with an author. Find an author people are recommending. You can even Google it!

Then go for the interview first. If they (the author) do not have a podcast, they will have been a guest on one. Listen to an interview. Find out more about them. At least 60% of the books I add to my library from new authors are the result of hearing the writer being interviewed. So, there is another good tip for how to begin.

These words from Theodore Parker have been cited by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. about what makes a book valuable:

“The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading: but a great book that comes from a great thinker – it is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and with beauty.”

Let’s make those the books we look for, those that make us think. Those that inspire and incite us with the ideas shared in them.