Why do I try to read 52 books per year?

No, it’s not because of the famous @tailopez YouTube ad.

When I was a kid my parents used to read books to me.

When I was old enough to read on my own I really started to enjoy reading... specifically sci-fi and fantasy.

But then...

My teachers started giving reading assignments.

More of my time was spent on things that I “had” to read.

For some reason I hate when other people tell me what to do.

So I started to hate reading.

This lasted through high school and into college.

I read enough to get by.

But I wasn’t getting any joy out of reading.

In hindsight I believe I suffered in certain classes because I wasn’t more engaged with the reading.

It wasn’t until I was halfway through college that I picked up a book again.

I remember going to Barnes and Noble with my mom.

It was Christmas break and I needed something to keep me occupied.

I noticed a book called Ahead of the Curve.

Turned out to be a story of a guy’s experience going to Harvard Business School to get his MBA.

I was hooked. It was a lens into a different world that I wasn’t in

Then I started to hear stats like, “CEOs read 60 books per year.”

And after graduating college I had a commute for my job and started listening to audiobooks.

Most people spend 30-60 minutes commuting one way to work.

That means you can listen to a book every week or two.

Reading makes us better writers. Better speakers. And better thinkers.

It can give us a view into a world we never knew.

It can wrap us up in a fantasy and disconnect from our reality.

And it can teach us virtually any skill.

There are books about virtually everything.

Religion. Philosophy. Art. Friendship. Politics. Business. Personal Finance. Marriage. Cooking.

There are books in every category!

And books are a great deal.

@ramit has a rule where he buys any book that he finds interesting.

Why not? Think you’ll go broke reading?

Imagine you buy 100 books in a year (a bit excessive maybe) at $20 each for a total of $2,000.

Now imagine that as a result of reading those books you learn a skill that earns you a $2,000 raise.

Crazy? Nah. Easy return on investment.

Books contain information...

And that information can be life changing.

@GrantCardone Says millionaires read looking for a big idea.

If a book or a course turns you on to a business idea that generates $100,000 in annual income... what was that worth?

And it might just be a single idea!

One of the best features of self-directed learning is that you don’t have somebody telling you what to do.

Bored and want to stop a book? Do!

Something else seem more interesting? Go for it!

There are no book police coming to tell you what to do.

And reading is easy today.

You can buy a Kindle and keep a whole library of books on a tiny device.

You can subscribe to Audible and listen to books on your commute or during your workout.

And you can buy used books on Amazon for a fraction of the normal price.

In 2020 it is easier to read than ever.

So give it a whirl! Maybe you’ll discover that you actually like reading.

Maybe you’ll like it so much that you’ll try to read a book this year.

Or a book per month.

Or a book per week.

You’ll be light years ahead of most people... because they don’t read.