People’s lives change in two ways – through the books they read and the people they meet.
That’s what my fellow member of the National Speakers Association, Charles “Tremendous” Jones, once told me. And it’s not too late to adopt a New Year’s resolution to read more or to improve your reading.
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As a matter of fact, I did this myself several years ago. I felt my reading skills had slowed down over the years and it was taking me longer to absorb less. I took a speed-reading course, which helped me immeasurably.
February is the perfect time to improve your reading, since it’s Library Lovers Month. I’ve always said that libraries are an untapped gold mine.
Religious leader and editor Lyman Abbott said: “A book is a friend; a good book is a good friend. It will talk to you when you want it to talk, and it will keep still when you want it to keep still – and there are not many friends who know enough to do that. A library is a collection of friends.”
Norman Cousins, a well-known American editor and writer, said: “The book is still the finest portable university known to man.”
The late Earl Nightingale said many times that a person who does not read isn’t any better off than one who cannot read. Like many of us, Earl was given the gift of reading and learning by his mother, whom he and his brothers called “Honey.” He was only about 9 years old when he marched himself off to the public library to begin his search for the answer to why people turn out the way they do. By the time he was 29, he had discovered that “we become what we think about,” and that information launched not only his career, but also pioneered the personal development industry.
As an adult, Earl’s appetite for reading and learning was voracious, and he bought and read books, several at a time. A diverse collection of books lined his library walls, and he would often refer to them as his “treasures,” believing that they contained valuable lessons and information about life.
I was surprised to see a U.N. education study that appeared in USA Today a couple of years ago. The UNICEF study was based on five different tests of 14- and 15-year-olds to determine their abilities in reading, math and science. The study also factored in the International Adult Literacy Survey. South Korea had the most effective education system among the world’s 24 richest countries, with Japan in second place and the United States near the bottom at 18th place.
Another resolution you might adopt is reading different material that introduces you to new ideas and new ways of thinking. Don’t just read the same old stuff that confirms your existing prejudices.
Here’s a flash quiz that should give you a clue as to your priorities: What section of the newspaper do you read first? The sports page? Comics? Your horoscope? When do you get around to the business news, looking specifically for developments in your field? Third? Fourth? Never? Your answer should tell you something about whether you’ve got your act together or not.
Read your trade journals. That’s smart. If you’re trying to land an account or get close to someone, it helps to know what they’re reading. Read their trade journals. That’s twice as smart.
If you’re looking for a job, it’s not uncommon for an interviewer to ask what you’ve been reading lately. Have a good answer. Current business books and periodicals, trade and technical journals in your field, thoughtful books of any kind, fiction or nonfiction qualify, if you can discuss them creatively and analytically.
One job seeker took his reading so seriously that he staggered home night after night bearing loads of books and periodicals to bone up for the next day’s interviews.
His little daughter couldn’t understand and one day asked, “Mommy, why does Daddy always bring home all that work?”
Her mother explained to the tot, “Well, darling, you see, Daddy has so much work to do and if he can’t finish it during the day he brings it home.”
“Well,” responded the daughter, “I never thought I’d have to do homework after I got out of school.”
Mackay’s Moral: I would suggest one final resolution: You’re never too old to stop learning.
Harvey Mackay is author of The New York Times best seller “Pushing the Envelope.” He can be reached through his Web site: www.mackay.com; or Mackay Envelope Corp., 2100 Elm St., Minneapolis, MN 55414.
