Why do all the successful people read books?
Is it really worth the time and money?
Back in my school days, there is this, one very common statement I have heard as I grew up several times, literally, not kidding, and that is:
Start reading books to be successful.
And to top it again, this same phrase is repeated by all the internet genii and YouTubers. Is it really helpful? Or wait before we dive into debating that, let me guess… have you ever tried reading a book and dropped it mid-way because you did not gather the strength to be consistent, right? If not, what is your experience reading books? Write in the comments and share your wisdom with everyone here!
According to Bill Gates, he reads about 50 novels annually. He claimed that “the major method I both learn new topics and assess my comprehension” is via reading.
Does reading books do any good?
Just imagine:
You have a dark room in your house and there is no light entering that room. But you need light anyhow in that room so you can work.
What will you do? You might probably get a bulb and put it in the room to light it up, setup some artificial ventilation and get all the stuff you need to work. You try to make that room free of any distraction, mop/dust it clean and make it so that it radiates a feel of heaven.
Something alike happens to our brain when we read books — fiction, non-fiction, self-help and so on, neuroscientists say rewires, improves and refreshes your brain. In addition to it, there are more things that psychology is able to prove. I’d like to list some basic things from a list which I found interesting after pondering for a long time.
These are things which everyone would love to inculcate or improve because you become more productive, smart and insightful in life. This is what will put you on a path to achieve success, inspire you to get out of the rat race only when you let realization dawn upon you with respect to what’s wrong and what’s right. Here are some points which your mind benefits from when you read a single book:
Increases creativity: Reading books can change one’s thinking pattern. It gives us an opportunity to turn a dull thing into a new, fresh idea that no one has ever thought of. Do you know why many people suddenly get a new perspective about the world after reading a book?That’s because books give lots of information and most importantly the freedom to desire and imagine. Have you ever wondered why you get so attached to a character in book or dramas that you put yourself into that story and imagine if you could’ve done something? I am sure we all have at least once dreamt of saving the world.
Boosts problem solving skills: The ability to solve problems is the key to successful people. It is said that it doesn’t matter how hard the situation is until you can turn the situation around. Reading a lots of books let you imagine all the various things that can happen. When that thing is combined with all the treasure trove that you hold deep inside your brain — all the knowledge that you have ever learnt and developed from the numerous (perhaps) books that you have read or at least come across. If its an interesting read, you start exploring and predicting the circumstances in your own version of the story that gives you a better view of life and situation.
Can be your best friend: Remember that today almost all things tech you like runs on electricity. Ever imagined what if you don’t have these for a while? Some people might just perish. But certainly, books have never abandoned us even if technology did a few times. In this generation it has become very easy to connect with people. But, we haven’t been able to keep up with the distance and the feeling of being ourselves. This easy method of connecting with people has now become more and more lonely, discouraging and distant physically. In such cases, reading helps you with a good, sane company and benefit in unaccountable ways.
Although Elon Musk is no rocket scientist, he claimed to have understood constructing rockets by reading books. Whereas, Warren Buffet turned to books, thanks to his avid reading habits to learn everything out there to know about every business, which in turn helped him become America’s greatest and successful investor.
Though, not all books can make you successful
Its undeniable fact that all sorts of books can give you knowledge and help you grow. But not all books will make you successful. Reading a book on architecture won’t help you become a doctor. Similarly, reading a romance or only fiction won’t help you spearhead on the path of success. Only the books that trigger you to work hard and try new techniques, or motivate or teach you to fight in the storm, are the books that will make you successful.
I’m not saying you will be successful overnight. Nobody does by any means. Reading books will only teach us strategies to find the right path and the right dedication where you will be the driver of the journey towards reaching your goal/ destination. Every successful person had a thirst to achieve high mountains and chop off all the barriers, which stopped them all as they progressed in their path. Books helped them to show the path, and the rest was the wings of fire they had. It is what made them successful than others. Instead of reading only to become successful, read because you want to. If so, it won’t become a burden, but let you relax as you do it. Reading books has no boundaries. Each book will attempt to impart the most knowledge possible, but you must know how to truly understand it.
In a brilliant effort to push himself and others to reading books, on the interval of two weeks, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg established his own book club in 2015.
Now the question — why do the successful read book?
On an average, a human life is of 4000 weeks. Its too short to learn everything by ourselves. But reading a book takes at most a month, with dedication and consistency. When you read books, you live it. You learn from it. As long as we are alive, we will be learning one thing or the other, new or old and there is no escape from this. As Sam Levenson remarked, “Learn from other people’s mistake. Life is too short to make them all yourself.”
When people become aware that every issue they confront has been dealt by someone, somewhere across the world. This book written by Robin Sharma, The 5 AM Club or the book written by Malcolm Gladwell named Outliers give your their thoughts, perspective and the magic to imagine the knowledge. Even a book written by Ruskin Bond (fiction section) will have problems and situation based out of the real world. And as its said, there are no questions without answers, there are no problems without solution. The answer was discovered and recorded by someone somewhere to the problem confronted.
Imagination is nothing but the power to think of something in the present that will evolve and have a long-lasting impact in the future. Take for example, cryptocurrencies or the ease of transacting in India via Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It all started with barter system, sea shells, coins, paper money that established a strong base for trading. An imagination would be as simple as little math — developing means to pay cash-less, i.e, plastic money. This system was a global hit. This inspired someone to imagine how about just sending money with the same ease of texting? This sort of idea gave birth to UPI technology in India where people can just scan a QR code, enter amount, authenticate and pay? Simple, right?
The finest education comes from books, and successful individuals are wise enough to understand that they don’t need to invent the wheel in order to make significant changes.
Do books and reading habit truly help you?
The answer to this lies in your consistency and belief. The more you read and understand, the more you will become confident? “Why?” You might ask. Some avid readers while reading books surround themselves with the story and imagine themselves to be a part — it might happen during fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc. When one does that, they possibly go through every situation in the book, mentally and a few more of their imagination and are confronted with the issue. The more you read and develop yourself, the more efficient you are in the process. This helps them in two ways —
One might learn about the problems/issues he/she has confronted while reading the book plus the creation of their own imagination and try to overcome them or create mitigation strategy or plans. The next time they come across such situation, they’ll improvise the plan based on the current situation and overcome the tide — at least faster than others.
Another might undergo the same process but not put the effort to find an answer. Yet, they’ll be fast at figuring out a feasible solution since they already know the possible solutions thanks to the knowledge from the book and all the possibilities that the characters in the book used to overcome them.
I believe that learning is more essential than reading books. People that are successful tend to be lifelong learners who actively seek out new information. Simply reading is akin to reading the newspaper every morning just by the headline but forgetting it by the next day. Reading enhances learning by encouraging creative (imagination that develops from the story) and alternative (being the protagonist/a character of the story yourself) thinking. That is how I would like to define.
I read in this article that Elon Musk picked up a lot of knowledge about rocket engineering just by asking his engineers questions every day before they got to work. Actually, this is how the books behave. They reflect the expertise and opinions of the authors. You become successful by gathering knowledge in the form of reading books and then testing/applying your newfound knowledge.
The basic justification for this is that reading is the greatest method to learn anything, hence successful people read a lot. Books convey the author’s ideas to readers. However, that does not imply that it is the only method of learning. You may immediately question a successful person about his experiences and speak with him. To learn what he did and comprehend why he failed, you may also speak with someone who has experienced company failure. We can learn a lot from each of these approaches or simply talking and communicating.
Books are not the only one. Communicating with anyone who is willing to share their experiences and failures with the path to success will lead you to become a successful person, given you work on it. Since books have, from a long time helped humanity immensely and the fact that most of the knowledge we have today came from the books written by someone, they are treated as the premier form of knowledge for understanding purposes.
Here’s what I discovered after being consisted for the last 5 years now:
Reading books improved concentration and focus. Reading needs intense concentration. You won’t be able to understand what is said in the book if you are preoccupied. Not everyone understands a book in one go. Its okay to read and re-read until you understand. As a result, my reading experiences and thought process has made me more open to understanding the world and lessen the number of stupid mistakes I commit, leading to efficiency and effectiveness.
I have broadened my perspective. Reading books from various origins, genres, and perspectives has altered the way I view the world and aids in the development of my worldview. It has enabled me to make the right choice by putting myself in another person’s place (alternative thinking). Apart from improving my language skills, it has also taught me how to communicate with people globally and the lesson of churning out speeches on topics when asked (although for less time, but saves embarrassment).
Helps in setting goals and valuing time. As a reader, I have practiced establishing my goals for reading and, most of all, valuing my time. Even if I have like 30 mins in hand, instead of scrolling through Twitter, as I would do, I now pick up a book and start learning from it when I have an unfinished or a new one by the side. Setting goals for each moment and valuing my time are the two keys to success. If you don’t value your time, nobody else will.
I feel fresher and more alive. I think that after I started reading more books, my brain has started engaging in a variety of mental activities that have enabled me to remain on alert for an extended amount of time, keeping me fresh and energetic. As a result, I have noticed that I get more fresh ideas, and quicker.
Conclusion
In conclusion, reading is to the brain what exercise to the body. Reading does, in fact, enhance cognitive functions in the brain, making one wiser, according to scientific research market, a market where it may be monetized and paid back to you in a clear-cut assessment.
Money isn’t the only indicator of success, of course, but I use it to succinctly and simply describe the phenomenon.
If you want to succeed, do the actions and develop the qualities. To provide such a return, an investing procedure is necessary, and “books,” as construed, are an absolute need in both the continuity and the process.
Let’s not also forget that only what we are aware of may assist us; everything else is useless. Remember that no human being can think, say, do, or feel anything that is outside of what they already know!