Reading: A great tool for self-improvement

 

World Book Day will be celebrated on April 23rd, and being the bookworm that I am, I thought I would honour the day by writing a post on the enjoyable activity of reading.

My parents introduced me to books very early in life, and there was no turning back.  Since then, it has been one long, glorious journey of buying, borrowing, and reading books. This is one never-ending journey that I will never tire of. 

I'm grateful to Dad for the rides he gave me to the local library and the books he bought for me. On a lighter note, he never did approve of Mills & Boon. 

In our ever-changing world, where growth is mandatory, reading remains a timeless tool for self-improvement. A good book will inspire, motivate, inform, educate, and shift perspectives, making it one of the most effective ways to self-improvement.

 

Why Reading Matters:

 

·       Increases knowledge

Books open doors wide to new skills, perspectives, information, motivation, inspiration, language, and vocabulary.

 

·       Improves focus and discipline

In today’s world, where we are given to mindless scrolling, reading cultivates focus, increases your attention span, and improves your power of critical thinking.  

 

·       Boosts emotional intelligence

Memoirs and fiction help you understand human emotions and relationships at a deeper level.

 

·       Enhances creativity

Reading feeds your creativity. Ideas are born from the content you consume.

 

 

 

Incorporating reading into your daily routine

 

·       Set realistic goals

Read daily. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes to read. The time can be broken up into smaller slots over the day if doing it in one stretch is not feasible.  You can begin by reading the newspaper. Plan to read one book a month.

 

·       Take notes

Jot down new words, key insights, and quotes for future reference.

 

·       Join a book club/library/reading community

Discussing books with others opens up new perspectives. Joining a library would be economical and treat you to a wide choice of books. Joining a reading community also works well, as your reading habit remains in place.

My neighbourhood boasts of reading communities that meet weekly to simply get lost in a book.

 

 

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Accessibility

Technology enables you to always have a book by your side. Reading apps like Kindle and Audible serve the purpose perfectly. Audible may improve listening skills, and I found it particularly useful after my cataract surgery. 

 

·        Utilising the waiting period

Make use of waiting time, either on a commute or in a doctor’s clinic, to read.

Readathon

I find Blogchatter's weekly Readathon to be a great help to keep the reading habit going. 

I'm participating in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge. 

 

 

 

Happy World Book Day! 

Image credit: My personal pics.