The Importance Of Reading

Reading the right book can truly change your life forever. My life immediately improved in many areas the minute I began reading books. Not just any book, but books that contained the answers to the many problems I was having in my life. The great things about books is whatever area in life you want to improve upon there is certainly a book out there just waiting for you to read.

Although books are fairly inexpensive the life changing information contained inside them can prove to be priceless. What price would you put on happiness, better health, greater wealth, reaching goals or being successful?

The research, knowledge and life experiences of others failures and successes have been proven to be an excellent pathway down our own road to success. The work has already been done and all we have to do is read and incorporate the parts we want into our own lives.

By reading, your mind is stimulated to think more and as a result you become smarter. Reading books presents you with a wide range of benefits like improved memory, better self-esteem, concentration, focus, creativity and expertise about particular subjects.

Books are portable, you can take them almost anywhere and learn. They afford you the opportunity to learn at your own pace and about any topic of your choosing.

Research at Emory University found that those who engaged in mentally stimulating activities (such as reading) enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Evidence also linked reading to improved verbal and emotional intelligence, insight, innovation, abstract reasoning skills and other qualities of effectiveness.

People who read are more likely to get ahead when it comes to their careers, relationships and life in general due to how quickly reading material can be acquired and assimilated into their lives.

If you want to lead, you simply must read. It’s one of the surest ways to develop the qualities that will make you stand out and simultaneously equip you to lead as your influence grows. Reading boost one's emotional IQ decreasing the complexity of communicating and connecting with others. It’s frequently said that those who lead, read!

Research has shown that reading keeps leaders smart, creative, social and ahead of the game. Reading is a habit successful leaders consider critical to their success. As a leader if you’re not reading daily don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling behind your peers!

Diversify and add variety to your reading. When leaders read widely they gain insight from a broad range of topics. This broad set of knowledge provides the raw material for creative insight. Many breakthrough ideas have come as the result of combining knowledge from unrelated fields.

Reading is one of the most efficient ways to acquire information and leaders need a lot of general information to keep perspective and seize opportunities. But reading does more than give us a toolbox of ideas. It actually upgrades our analytical tools, especially our judgment and problem-solving abilities.

Commit to reading every day. There are many approaches to making reading a daily habit. Read a page a day, read a chapter a day, read until you get bored or tired, break your reading time into 10-20 minute session at different times throughout the day. Whatever approach you choose, make a commitment to read daily. Non-negotiable! No exceptions! No excuses!

In order to live a long healthy productive life you have to feed your mind healthy information in the same way you feed your body healthy food. Your body gets hungry and naturally you consume enough food to satisfy your hunger. Do the same for your mind, make feeding your mind a daily and natural event.

Our minds are constantly hungry for knowledge, success, power, wealth and things of the sort but yet most of us ignore this hunger. If you are hungry for these things then ignore your mind's request no longer. Start reading, listening and opening your eyes to all the readily available information that your mind is asking for. Read a book, listen to an audiobook or watch some type of media to enlighten, grow and develop your mind.

There are techniques successful people have laid out for us as guides to help with our success and leadership endeavors. I've listed some of these techniques in hope that you will utilize them as brain food to increase your intelligence and brain capacity. These are not my concepts but they are practices that I have learned and incorporated into my daily schedule.

Be curious - Think of how you would or could improve upon everyday things. By being curious and questioning everything, you force your brain to innovate and create new ideas.

Exercise regularly - It’s been proven that exercise helps to increase brain function and enhances neurogenesis. This means that every time you exercise you are creating new brain cells! Get off the couch, and get moving! Your brain will thank you for it.

Do something new - When you experience something “new,” you stimulate your brain. This creates new neural pathways, increasing your intelligence. You could take a new route to work, try a new recipe for dinner, or switch up your exercise routine – mix things up!

Train your memory - Discipline yourself to memorize phone numbers and other important numbers (passport, credit card, insurance, driving license, etc.). Your memory is also a muscle that needs training, use modern technology for its advantages by installing brain development games and apps on your electronic devices.

Think positive - Stress and anxiety kill existing brain neurons and also stop new neurons from being created. Research has shown that positive thinking, especially in the future tense, speeds up the creation of cells and dramatically reduces stress and anxiety. Try and take control of negative thoughts, and make an effort to replace them with positive ones.

Eat healthy - Our diets have a HUGE impact on brain function. Our brains consume over 20 percent of all nutrients and oxygen that we consume. So, remember to feed your brain with the good stuff! (Think fresh fruits and veggies and plenty of omega 3s found in oily fish.)

Read a book - Reading relieves tension and stress (brain-cell killers), because it’s a form of escapism. Research has also shown that using your imagination is a great way to train your brain, because you force your mind to picture what you are imagining. Reading is a great way to trigger your imagination and fuel your creative genius.

Get enough sleep - Sleep is like a mini detox for the brain. This is when your body regenerates cells and removes all the toxins that have built up during the day. Get to bed between the hours of 9 pm and midnight to benefit from the most effective hours of sleep. - mindbodygreen.com

The Importance of Reading

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