How to read, read a lot?

"When something is important enough. You do it, even if the odds are not in your favor."

                             - Elon Musk

Of all the world - class performers,
billionaires and eminent people, there are very few common habits which nearly everyone of them possess. Of the few common habits, reading books is common to all. These people read a lot. As nearly hundreds of books within a year. They built their own book library and undoubtedly take pride in it. So how do these people manager to read so much of books? Do they have any magic formula which we are unaware of? Read on to find out the answer.

I personally love reading books and all kinds of stuff which hold my interest. I was lazy about reading at first, like you guys. But the thing is that if I would have stayed lazy about reading, I would have surely regreted it. The exposure that I got through reading was something that brought a paradigm shift in my life. How I approached nearly everything changed. I met some really cool and interesting people. They changed how I approached work. I pulled myself out from the status quo, because I knew if I were to get somewhere, I need to change. I needed to inculcate the right habits, the right mindset if I were to stand out. I have witnessed the change that I have made in myself. And the change wasn't possible if I never read books. Reading ignited in me a fire which was awaiting to burn, the fire that keeps me going. I am sure you have some dream of your own completely different then mine, but trust me reading changed my life, and I sincerely hope that it can change yours if you pick up the right books.

Look, where do you get the time to eat three meals a day? How do you have time to do all that sleeping? How do you manage to spend all those hours with your kids or wife or a girlfriend or boyfriend?

You don't get time that time anywhere, do you? You just make it because it's really important. It's a non- negotiable part of your life.

I think there are three main barriers that hold people back from making this happen. Let's disassemble them so you can start reading way more.

Time

The key to reading lots of books begins with stop thinking of reading as some activity that you do. Reading must become as natural as eating and breathing to you. It's not something you do because you feel like it, but because it's a reflex, a default.

Carry a book with you at all time, every time you get a second, crack it open. Don't install games on your smartphone - that's the time you could be reading.

Stop thinking reading as some leisure activity and start treating it as a part of your life. It's not something you spurge on. It's a necessity.

Money

Ryan Holiday, the best selling author says , if he had to steal books to support his reading habit, he would. If he had to trade sleep in exchange for reading, he would. Thankfully you don't have to steal books to support your reading, you could buy the best literature ever published for pennies on Amazon.

Why do we invest in business? To grow our business. We invest in anything because it grows, it multiplies what you put in it, if you invest in the right thing. Similarly, books are an investment. An investment which we make in ourselves. People these days plan to buy books, this book, that book and all kinds of books. Plan? You don't plan to buy a book, you just buy it. Whenever I come across any book that grabs my attention and interest I really don't think twice before buying it, I spend all the savings I have on it, I sometimes had to borrow money, but it's worth all the hassle. I never let time, money or anything else prevent me from having it.

Purpose

Perhaps the reason people don't like to read is that they forgot the purpose of reading. It's not just for fun. Human being have been recording their knowledge in books from more than 5,000 years. This means that whatever you're working on right now, whatever problem you're struggling with, is probably addressed in some book somewhere by someone a lot smarter than you. Save yourself the trouble of learning from trial and error - find that point. Benefit from that perspective.

The purpose of reading is not just raw knowledge. It's that it is part of human experience. It helps you find meaning, understand yourself, and make your life better.

Look you either get this or you don't. Reading is something you know is important and want to do more of or you're someone who just doesn't read. If you're the latter, you're on your own.

What excuses do you have?

If you want to read more, there's no real secret. It's about adjusting your priorities and your perception so that reading becomes an extension of who you are and what you do.

When that happens, you'll be the person that people now ask: How do you do it? And the answer will be: I just do.

"When I get a little money I buy books, and if any is left I buy food and clothes." 

                             - Erasmus 


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