Open a Book Already

Throughout high school I rarely read. Most didn’t. I think the problem comes from the fact that we were forced to read books from thirty years ago, talk about it, then take a test over finding the symbolism in it. I mean we had a chance to read some classic and important literature, like George Orwell’s 1984. Instead we as a society began to hate reading, unless it’s giving us the juicy details of some celebrities divorce (like that matters). People despise reading books.
It’s hard to blame them though. There is so much interesting information on the internet that we can get in a fraction of the time. The problem is the details. Take for instance a book I just finish reading called Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, the book talks a lot about how we can get people to notice what we are saying. You can find these theories on communication on the internet too. The problem with the internet, is that it just gives the idea of what to do and can only go into limited detail on how to do it. A book can give you more knowledge and specifics compared to the internet or news paper. In turn a book will make you smarter and more of a critical thinker, which we lack in our society today.
My freshman year in college I couldn’t stand the thought of reading. That was until my friend gave me a book called I Feel Great and You Will Too by Pat Croce the owner of the 76ers. He told me the guy owned an NBA team, was a black belt in Karate and an overall beast. I thought hey I like successful people and I would love to own a pro sports team, I wonder how he did it. I read the book in a few days and it changed my life. Because it got me thinking more deeply about what I wanted for my future. Since then I average reading about a book every two weeks. Most people have the time to read one book every two weeks. It will drastically change your outlook on life.

Rules to Reading:
• You need to read non-fiction books. Reading fiction will not fill you with knowledge, it is more for entertainment. I still read fiction though, only at night right before I go to bed.
• Try to learn about things you don’t know. The idea of reading is to teach you something new. You can read about something you already know about though, just to get more expertise on an issue, just don’t burn yourself out.
• Don’t finish a book you don’t like! There is no sense in getting half way through a book realizing you hate it, then finishing just for the sake of finishing. You’re not letting anyone down by stopping yourself from finishing a book. Just trade the book to a used book store and go get something else you might enjoy.