I read. I read a lot every day, every year. 50 books is like a basic amount for me, not counting those crap that I started but can’t finish or all the content I read online.
I read a huge range of books from philosophy to astrology, from romance to sci-fi. And I read in a range of languages: Chinese, Japanese and English, it is really fun to see how translation will affect the content.
I/ Library is you best friend
I am honest with that. I use the library a lot to try out all the different books FOR FREE. As I said there are priceless treasure but there are also lots of crap, library is a good place under this. And when I read something good, I will definitely but that book. And save money from buying less badly written books.
This also help me start to read a lot of books that I usually won’t try out. Borrow it home and try, and if it don’t suit you just return it will do. Nothing to lose.
2/ Good books are hard to find
Good books for me are in two types:
- Those who are nicely written. Most of these books are poems, short essays etc. Some of them are just emotion record or diary like passage from the author. The contents may not be really practical and useful, but come on they are so well written and this is enough.
- Those with great content. Most of these books have great contents or plot if it is fiction. And they are written in a style that is easy to catch up with.
(It is hard to find books that have both character. They are true treasure that worth pursuing)
3/All the craps out there
For me, most of these books come from three categories:
a. Self-help crap
b. Business book with little or no content at all
c. Those “50 books in one book” kind of thing
As a Chinese reader most of the time, it is really easy to come across crap from self-help. There are 100 page talking about something most people already know, in a better sounding way. And there can be many people writing about the same trash if there is a trend. (Aghhhhhhh) And they always become the best selling books (Shrug)
When I read English book, I come across the other two more. I am not saying there are no good books from them, I have read a few too. But many of them aren’t.
4/Read to success requires some thinking
Read to success broadly is not practical. It is just a fantasy, okay? But I am not saying it is impossible, it just requires you to do some planning before hand.
1/What topics do you want to study deeply?
For example, I read a lot on psychology or special needs child when I am in secondary school. This helps me to become tutor at schools with special needs students during long holidays or weekends, and help me generate extra cash.
2/How to monetize what you learn from them?
After studying deeply, find a way to monetize what you learnt! Take my example, I run different blogs on a range of topics, and is a part-time tutor. They generate cash aside from my full time job.
3/ Develop that further until you reach success
And if this sounds hard for you, then reading can just be a hobby for you.
Also, try as you read. Just reading and studying is useless, GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY AND TAKE RISKS.
If you never start, it will just become a reason for you own failure. A nice sounding reason for your procrastination. And not all those things the experts writes suit you, make your own choices.
5/ Utilize that further reading list!
Many books, especially those non-fiction books, have a list of further reads complied by the author. Come on, how many of you really take that seriously? And that reference list? That is the best way to help you learn deeply in a topic, and build a sturdy web of knowledge!
6/Listen to those who tried things out
There are two ways for me to do so:
- Read some autobiography. This is a great way to meet different people. You can’t talk to all those really successful person easily, but by reading there autobiography, you can!
- Listen to podcast. Some authors may mention they talked about something in a podcast before. Go listen to them. Trust me, you can get lots of inspiration.
7/ Read the right book at the right time
I will keep an eye on the top selling list in any bookshop, and may try out one or two for a few page. It is important to know what is on trend now so to communicative with others. But I only get the right book for that moment home.
How do you know if it is the right book? Ask yourself these question:
a. How am I feeling now? Do I need this to brighten up or do I need different things to calm my nerves down?
b.What do I really want to know now?
c. Will it be to hard for me to finish? Do I need to read other books as a primer first?
And if you a spiritual seeker like me. LISTEN YOU YOUR HEART. Your intuition can be a good book picker. Feel the vibe and the power of the book, and if you feel sick at that time then maybe you should wait.
8/ Read from different viewpoint
This is one of the things I learnt when I read for social studies homework years ago. BIAS ARE EVERYWHERE. Face the truth, no on can write 100% objectively. There are always bias.
So read from different point of view, especially those on politics, social science and science development. If not, you will miss details and construct the big picture quite wrongly (I sacrificed my interim grade to learn this, ouch.)
9/ Reading is a journey, it can be personal or with friends
Reading is a long journey. Read alone is a great chance for deep thinking and self-discoveries. It also can let you read books that might make you feel awkward to talk about in a book club.
But if you need motivation during the journey, reach out on social media and find a reading buddy to discuss with you. Instagram, Reddit and Tumblr etc. Also talk with more people can give you new inspirations, make some new friends.
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