When I wrote Renewing our Minds is our responsibility I said I would share 7 powerful ways to expedite the renewal. Today we look at #3 Reading.
The child in this picture will probably read thousands of books in his lifetime, because his mother took the time to teach, make enjoyable and instill the value of reading at an early age. That programming will serve him, serve God and the rest of the world forever. Sadly, many boys did not receive this kind of training and therefore do not read.
Were you aware that studies from business, church and the coaching industry indicate that most men quit reading (quit learning) the moment they finish high school or college.
Sadder still is the alarming decline in mastery of a chosen field or role. Most men get 1-3 years of training (which equals about 20 days) in their chosen career and then repeat that development over and over again, 30 years in a row. No wonder there are so few masters in our society. Did you know that it takes about 10,000 hours of intense training and development to master anything.
Reading is a skill that develops just like any other skill
and there are specific things you can do to make it enjoyable.. If you have dyslexia or some other deficiency that makes reading difficult then contact me about getting some professional help in that area. I’ve researched this topic and although I’m not an expert, I can get you pointed in the right direction. There are many, very cool ways to get beyond ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other reading deficiencies, if you are willing to put in the work.
If you don’t have reading deficiencies, but you just don’t like to read, then that is a horse of a different color. That is a values deficiency. Reading has no value to you so you don’t value reading. I can tell you that reading is the most valuable thing you can do to advance your life, your career, your income or any other area of your life, but I think I’ll allow some pretty savvy folks to do that for me.
Consider the following quotes -
Abraham Lincoln “The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.”
Anne Rice “Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed.”
Anonymous “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”
Dr. Seuss “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Fortune “Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to get ahead… and to think, all they have to do is READ.”
Harry Truman “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Mark Twain “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read.”
and perhaps my favorite is….
Dr. Freeman Hrabowski “The fundamental flaw of any class of people or individual is their failure to continue reading and learning” and he summed it up this way – The primary difference between dreams realized and dreams deferred is reading and education.
Reading the right stuff, frees our imagination, inspires our innovation and creativity, empowers our faith and fuels the engine of our dreams and desires. -Les Dossey
Find ways to make it fun, find ways to make it convenient, find ways to make it interesting, find ways to make it relevant to your success and then quit making excuses and just make it happen.
If it’s hard then find easy books to read and read a lot of them, it wont take long and you’ll get good at it. If it’s boring then switch topics until you find something that inspires and captures your imagination. It it’s monotonous then perhaps you’re looking at it the wrong way, you have a choice, choose to view it differently and the way you look at it will change.
Most of you have heard it before….
Just in case you’re a little slow and haven’t been using your thinking muscle lately, I think it’s important to add some context to this statement. Unless your thinking, understanding, wisdom, and truth is growing and maturing, you will soon find yourself in a situation or facing an obstacle or barrier that you will not be able to handle or navigate.
Consider this -
Do you want to be a man who has read many volumes but with understanding tissue paper thin or do you want to be known for gaining mastery of the gifts and the truth that God has assigned to you?
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