Reading Your Way to a Better Life“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping informed about the change. And it is a very difficult task to teach people how to learn.” – Peter Drucker
One of the most amazing things I have ever learned was a study course for a publishing company called Jenkins Group. In that study were the following findings:
1/3 of high school graduates have never read a book in their lifetime.
Forty-two percent of college graduates have never read a textbook after college.
80 percent of U.S. households did not buy or read a book last year.
Seventy percent of U.S. adults have never been to a bookstore in the last five years.
What I found most surprising is that many people drop out of school after graduation, as a diploma means that you have learned everything you need to know. The fact is, formal education (which I love very much), is just the beginning. It is as Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that hinders my learning is my education.”
I like reading. I believe in reading. One of the things you can learn from the lives of great men and women is that they were all students. Students are students and they are growing people. The students stood out from the crowd and made their mark on life. Think, every day, something that no one else thinks. Do, every day, something that no one else can be stupid enough to do. It’s bad for the mind to stay. it’s part of the relationship. “
I would like to tell you four important things that people who love success have to do to keep learning and keep growing. Success will always elude a person who neglects to learn in his life. However, for someone with a sense of achievement who understands and appreciates learning there are a lot of opportunities waiting for him.
There should be no time in the life of a successful person when he or she stops learning. When we stand, we are dead, yes, there is the dead who are still walking. These people resist reading because they see it as a formal, literary form of reading material, but people with a sense of achievement know that they can always read. Learning is about gathering information and processing it. It is a deliberate act and should be done, but it is the most exciting thing you will do. Abigail Adams said, “Learning is not by accident, it must be demanded and diligent.”
Be a Student More Than a Teacher
Most of the time, we have this desire to show people how much we know. We should always be the one who gives the instructions or guide the way. This is a war fought by many people who love success. Take your time and be a student of change. Remember that everyone has something to teach you. Don’t get caught thinking you know everything. I read Dr. John Maxwell’s excellent statement about this. He said, “The greatest obstacle to finding is not ignorance or lack of wisdom. The deception of knowledge.”
Be Where You Can Grow Up
People with a sense of achievement knowing that there are tools and resources around them, every day, that they can go to to help them learn. Look for things that move your mind and make you think. Be among the books, music, and art. Talk to people who ask rich questions and are open to learning in the world around them. Take time to think and ask deep questions about life. Pray and read the Bible for answers, not just comforting words. I found this to be very good advice: “Never let a day go by without looking at some perfect work of art, hearing a certain piece of music and reading, in part, some good book.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Surround Yourself With People Who Are Better Than You
Successful people are aware that they will not grow up with the same social status as they do. A tennis champion will only train with someone better than him. That way they have to stretch and improve throughout the game. Life is like this again. When you have people who are better than you at work, smarter than you are, or have more experience in life than you do, you will grow up. Do not try to please people, learn from them. People who think they are successful understand that being among the most successful people does not look down on them but elevates them. They know that it does not help to try to impress people with their information.
Check out these lessons. Try it and see that you do not learn more. Your reading ability is in your hands. It is not your responsibility, your parents, the government, or your employer. You will decide what you read when you study, and who you will study from. The power of success. If you fail to learn, you will learn to fail. In the words of W. Edwards Deming, “Learning is not compulsory … nor is it survival.”