I’ve been a sidepreneur since 2010. Meaning, I have a full-time career and a side business. It’s been an interesting journey and I’ve learned so much with tons of ups and down.
One element of my sidepreneurial journey that has held steady is my constant thirst for new knowledge. And this is where books come in. I read every single day…sometimes it’s for only 5 minutes, but other times it’s for an hour. I alsoblog about the books I read because I find it cements the lessons in my head…and gives me an opportunity to share lessons learned with others.
The purpose of this blog post is to convince you to create a daily reading habit.
Now that I have Kindle on my phone, I’ve got my books with me where ever I go. Reading has never been easier.
- Walking on the treadmill to get some exercise? An opportunity to read!
- Laying in bed to wind down from a long day? An opportunity to read!
- Getting up before my family gets up and enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee? An opportunity to read!
POSITIVE NOURISHMENT
I’m a huge believer of feeding your brain positive information. If you ever watch the news at night, it’s incredible the negativity they share — don’t flood your mind with that garbage!
So one of the first reasons I read every single day is because I want to saturate my brain with positive reinforcement. I choose books that are in the self-help, entrepreneurial or business category…so the messages and lessons are always ones that make you stronger.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Another reason I read every single day is because I want to feed my mind new skills and knowledge…and the experiences of the authors writing the books. I view it as exercise for my brain.
I find it such a mind-blowing thing that, for $10 to $15, I can tap into the mind of a person much more successful and knowledgeable than me. For example, right now I’m reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, #AskGaryVee.
For just $15, I’m learning lessons from a brilliant marketer as well as the co-founder of a 600+ person digital agency. The value to cost ratio of a good book from a good author is so crazy!
BETTER WRITING
The 3rd and final reason I read every single day is because I find it makes me a better writer. I assume it’s because I absorb the vocabulary, writing styles and skills of different authors…and it naturally comes out when I’m writing.
BOOKS I RECOMMEND
I hope I’ve been able to convince you to at least consider making reading a part of your daily lifestyle. Commit to just 10 pages per day. This is one of the recommendations in The Slight Edge, the 1st book I recommend.
Now you might be thinking that reading 10 pages per day is not going to make a difference…and you’re right if you look at it on a day to day basis. But if you keep up with it every day, that’s 300 pages month and 3,600 pages per year. The Compound Effect is awesome — and yes, this is the 2nd book I recommend.
The last 2 books I recommend are centered around focus, goals and mindset.
The One Thing is a very popular book that teaches you focus…something many entrepreneurs have a hard time with, myself included. The book prompted me to make changes to the projects I’m working on and I’m already seeing the benefits of diluting myself less.
And lastly, I read a book called The Instant Millionaire that impacted me more than I expected. I’m not even sure why…the message behind is not all that unique…maybe it was the way the story was told.
The book made me re-evaluate my goals…and convinced me to add affirmations into my daily routine for strengthening my mindset.
THE END
We’re at the end and I appreciate you sticking with me and making it this far. If there are any books you’d recommend, or if you have comments and feedback on what I’ve written here, I’d love to hear from you!
Credit: Ryan Cote
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