Chapter 7
Reading is power
Former
President Harry Truman said, “Not all readers will be leaders, but all leaders
must be readers.”
Reading changed my life. I wouldn’t have evolved into the man I am
today without it. I think it’s the
smartest investment a human being can make.
Mark Twain said, “Those who do not read are no better off than those who
cannot.”
I understand a lot of humans
have been programmed to hate reading. Kids
are forced to read in school—and they’re rarely interested in the
material. Unfortunately, seventh-graders
aren’t interested in The Count of Monte
Cristo, just because their 50-year-old English teacher is. My attention span wouldn’t permit me to stay
focused on reading some boring book in class; I was focused on pulling the hair
of the cute girl that sat in front of me.
This early negative association tends to keep adults from reading as
they get older. It causes them view
reading as a “chore.” And once they’re
out of school, they’ve decided to “stay away from school chores.”
The key to unlocking the power
that comes from reading is to find something that you find interesting—whatever that is. If you like working on cars, read the
biography of Henry Ford and learn about why he was inspired to invent the Model
T. If you like sports—read the
biographies of your favorite coaches and players. Once you’re able to uncover their “behind-the-scenes”
thoughts and other “dirt,” you’ll begin to fall in love with reading. Your negative association will easily
transform into a positive one!
The human brain is like a
computer—the most advanced computer on the planet. If you download quality data into your brain,
you’re more likely to produce quality life-results. What goes in comes out.
Your quality of life is equal to
the quality of seeds you plant. What
types of seeds are you planting into your brain?
Most humans waste their lives downloading viruses into
their brain-computer. They download images
of fear and violence from the television.
They download music laced with lust and materialism. They trade viruses with their
co-workers—gossiping about who’s sleeping with whom. Then they wonder why their lives feel all “bogged-down.” It’s because they’re consistently downloading
poison into their system!
I encourage you to find
inspirational books to read. Program
your mind with high-quality material; you’ll be more likely to achieve high
quality life-results.
It’s always about the seeds.
If you can’t find time to read an inspirational book—get
the book on CD. Listen to it in the car
on the way to work. There are countless
free inspirational podcasts that you can download to your i-Pod.
Although, I prefer actual
reading, as this forces your brain-muscle to “exercise,” and makes it stronger.
Sayeth The White Rabbit:
Knowledge is power. You get knowledge by reading or listening to audio books. Reading makes you powerful.