On any given day, I am typically reading about two or three different books. As a part of my morning routine, outlined in my book Get Up and Grow, I read from a book about my spiritual life, my professional life, and sometimes from a book that will help me on my health journey. I may also be reading a work of fiction or something that catches my eye but doesn’t exactly fit into one of my morning categories. Reading is a huge part of what I do. If I want to be constantly growing, learning, and developing, I have to be reading. Reading isn’t optional when you are looking to grow. We’ve talked about the idea of circular thinking and unhealthy thought patterns on this blog before, and one of the ways we end up in those unhealthy cycles is by limiting the voices in our lives. When we aren’t hearing from others and allowing our perspective to be shifted, our thoughts feed on themselves. One of the easiest ways to get out of a destructive thought pattern is to read. When we read, our horizons are broadened, our worldview is shaped and reshaped, and our minds are opened to new possibilities. Reading is incredibly significant in the life of every leader. [bctt tweet="Reading isn’t optional when you are looking to grow." username="dukematlock"] I’d like to encourage you to read. Read things that you love. Read things that you are unfamiliar with. Read things over and over again. Every time you read a book, you identify themes, patterns, and takeaways. You will find new pieces of information and nuggets of wisdom whether you are reading a book for the first time or the tenth time. Your mind is always learning new lessons and gleaning new information. The goal in reading is to continually be filling your mind with new information to process through. Not every book will change your life; but every book will teach you something new. I read an article recently that talked about the importance of reading and one passage in particular stood out to me. The author said, “Running a business, being a writer, living a full life — these things depend on the knowledge that we can gain and use. What we call following our gut, is really us being subconsciously guided by every piece of information we’ve ever consumed, shaping our instincts and ideas and forming us.” I really believe that this is true. Our ability to act and make decisions quickly is based on the stores of knowledge that we have built up. If you are constantly learning and growing, you will be able to easily face whatever comes your way. The only way to do that is to read; by doing so, you are collecting new information and preparing for challenges that you have yet to face. You can learn from any genre. Fiction teaches us about what it means to be a human being and relate to the world around us. When we read the stories of others, whether real or fictional, we learn to cultivate compassion and connection. Books about success teach us new strategies to be utilized to accomplish our goals. When we read about spiritual growth, we find new ways to connect with God. Reading is powerful. Choose a book and start reading. It doesn’t matter what it is, who wrote it, or what it is about; reading has the ability to change your world if you let it. [bctt tweet="Reading has the ability to change your world if you let it." username="dukematlock"]
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