“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings, so that you shall come easily by what others have labored for”- Socrates.
When was the last time you picked up a book and read it? Maybe not even a book, say a significant magazine article? Developing a great reading habit takes time and dedication, but once you really get into it, you will begin to understand the many benefits you can gain from reading. Reading helps you understand yourself differently, it opens up your mind in a brand new way, “to acquire the habit of reading, is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life”-W. Somerset Maugham. Your daily routine shouldn’t revolve around watching TV and social media alone, “if we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads”-Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Just like every other muscle in the body, the brain requires constant stimulation to keep it active and reading does just that. Reading keeps your brain active, gives you a different perspective of life and increases creativity and imagination. “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary”-Jim Rohn.
Reading provides you with new information every single time, when you pick up a book, you get to learn about a new place, an uncommon tradition or way of life of certain people, a different type of food, it’s a new experience every time that provides you with knowledge that might come in handy someday, “To read is to voyage through time”-Carl Sagan. Asides from this, reading helps with vocabulary expansion, the more you read the more you come across new words, learn their meaning and how to use them, “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” -Dr Seuss
Not only that, reading enhances your writing and communication skills. The more you read, the more you find better ways of expressing yourself be it when talking or writing. The words flow out easily and your expressions are better understood, “I always keep two books in my pocket, one to read and one to write in”-Robert Louis Stevenson.
Reading also helps improve your memory, in every book you read, there are different characters, backgrounds and bits of information you have to remember all through the book, by constantly reading and strengthening your brain pathways, you unconsciously improve your memory retention.
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel and solved the plot even before getting to the end of the story? Its amazing how the brain can piece together every bit of information, filter out the irrelevant parts and deliver to you the crux of the issue. Reading improves analytical thinking skills and helps broaden the mind to see all the possible ways a story could go. This is a skill needed to tackle real life issues.
A well written story can transport you to another realm, letting tensions drain away and allowing you relax. No matter the stress you are facing from work, personal relationships or countless other issues in life, losing yourself in a good book will help ease the stress.
“Think before you speak. Read before you think”- Fran Lebowitz.
#stayinformed
#readabook
