When I speak with those who believe that there is only one set way to live their life, it typically coincides with those who have either not embraced reading or they’ve not been exposed to enough good books.
Books open up worlds of possibility. As Neil Gaiman said: “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” I’d add that the right books make you wholeheartedly believe that your dreams are possible, while others might give you exact roadmaps to get there!
Reading anything tops my list of favorite forms of entertainment. While I resented growing up in a house where television watching was limited to a one hour show on a Sunday night, I learned to read. Today, I’m very grateful for that restriction that I thought was so unfair at the time, yet now I realize was a lifelong gift from my parents. My reading started with Encyclopedia Britannica (a sadly lost pre-internet home or library staple) and then any and every book on my parents bookshelf. After enjoying the biographies, country facts, and history entries in the encyclopedia, I loved reading short stories. Guy DeMaupassant, Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemmingway. I learned about sex by sneak buying a copy of Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex…but Were Afraid to Ask. Soon I realized that basically anything you might want to learn about had been written about. I became addicted to reading.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” Wow do I agree! Reading is the healthiest mind-expanding experience ever and there are no negative side effects! As I’m pretty intuitive, I can usually determine in minutes if someone I’m speaking with is a reader…or not. Those who are, tend to be thoughtful listeners. After all, they’ve been “listening” with each page they have turned. Also, I find I learn a lot from these readers based on what they are reading and enthusiastically seeking to share.
It doesn’t make any difference what you decide to read as long as you’re doing it. Horoscopes, fantasy books like Harry Potter, historical novels like War and Peace, Jackie Collins Hollywood sex and power thinly veiled fiction books, Stephen King contemporary horror/supernatural/suspense, biographies of those alive or dead, business “how to”, personal development…heck, even the daily newspaper counts!
Read! Your memory, thought processes, personal growth, imagination, creativity, communication’s skills– everything in your life will benefit in every way!
What’s next on your reading list? Please share via tweet or Instagram to me @DianGriesel
