I recently came across a quote by someone that has stuck with me. Specifically he said, “You will be the same person 10 years from now except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I am an avid reader and always have been. I am trying to get back to a book a week average, building professional development through reading. When I was in college and my early career I was a HUGE reader of biographies because I believed we have limited time on earth and what we could read and learn from someone else would create additional lifetimes in our own lifetime. Make sense? There are limited hours in a year.
Considering there are limited hours in a year most people say the do not have time to read. I challenge this. I find reading time at the gym (ride the bike) and before bed. Additionally, I try to keep a book handy so I can always pick on up at anytime.
Consider these numbers – I try to read 10 hours per week (90 minutes per day). It is easy to find 90 minutes, just turn off the TV or quit browsing the web. Take 10 hours per week X 52 weeks per year = 500 hours per year. If you read for 5 years, you just read 2500 hours, or the same as an entire year at work serving 40 hour weeks! You have to learn something, your mind must grow, and there will be professional development. If your peers spend their time watching ESPN, American Idol, or Desperate Housewives and over the same 5 years you read 250 books (a book a week), your knowledge will be far greater. You will be growing.
READ.
So far this year:
Live Younger Next Year(1/15/2011)
Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King(1/17/2011)
Mayo Clinic High Blood Pressure(1/20/2011)
Parenting Book – 6 steps 1/25/2011
The Emerging Police State – William Kunstler (1/28/2011)
Blue Highs (did not like) 1/31/2011
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (also available in audio)(2/4/2011)
5 Questions every Organization Should Ask – Peter Drucker 2/4/2011
The Changing World of the Executive – Peter Drucker (2/12/2011)
Getting Things Done – Edwin Bliss(2/14/2011)
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker (2/18/2011)
The Contented Achiever (2/26/2011)
Go Put Your Strengths to Work – Marcus Buckingham (3/1/2011)
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell(3/4/2011)
Dare to Win – Gary Leboff (3/18/2011)
Makers and Takers (3/28/2011)
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