Are You Reading?

Harry S. Truman said that “not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” You may not consider yourself a leader, but you are. In the smallest sense, you must lead yourself. If you want to achieve goals and be the best you can be, then you have to proactively lead yourself.
Reading is important, but I believe President Truman wasn’t referring simply to reading.  He was emphasizing that to be a true leader you have to continue to learn.  In today’s world there are many methods to help you become a better leader (feel free to replace “leader” with any of the roles you fill: wife, father, parent, employee, athlete, Christian). Audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube, and seminars are just a few of the ways you can be a learner. If you want to improve, if you want to reach your goals and be satisfied with your life, then you have to continue to learn.
In his book, The Traveler’s Gift, Andy Andrews tells a story about the 7 Decisions That Determine Personal Success. I’ve listened to the audio version and read the physical book. I recommend picking it up if you have not read it already. The second decision is simply this: I Will Seek Wisdom. This is a simple statement but so often we forget that we have to do something to find wisdom. Michael Hyatt wrote a great post about how reading improves your leadership skills (https://michaelhyatt.com/science-readers-leaders.html). These improvements aren’t limited to just leaders. Whatever it is that you do, reading will help you improve.
You don’t have to read for hours a day, go back to school, or spend thousands of dollars on training to be a learner. Seeking wisdom can take as little as 5 minutes a day. Pick up a book, subscribe to blog articles or watch a documentary. You may find a free webinar on a topic or skill you want to improve on. It doesn’t matter what you do to learn, just find a way to get learning into your daily and weekly routine.
Need a recommendation? I am compiling my list of books and other resources that I’ve learned from this year. Look for it in a blog post soon. If you are looking to start today, go pick up a copy of The Traveler’s Gift.  If you want an individualized recommendation, shoot me an email or comment below and I’ll help you get started.