5 Ways To Become Smarter
"I now have one
of the better libraries. I admit that I
haven’t read everything in my library, but I feel smarter just walking in it."
- Jim Rohn
(1930-2009)
Author/Speaker
There are
two commonly held human feelings that people will go to great lengths the
gain. One is the feeling of being
beautiful. Billions of dollars are spent
every year on products that promise to make people feel beautiful. The other feeling is that of being
smart. Where you can only do so much
about beauty, becoming smarter is not that difficult. It will take a bit of work, but to the
diligent person, there is no limits on how smart they can become.
There is one product that is
totally indispensable in the pursuit of smart, it is tied to every method,
technique and skill. That product is
books. Of all the inventions throughout
the history of the human race, none has been a more firm foundation to growth,
learning, development, education, skill sets and careers than books. So let us look at five ways that you can
become a smarter and better person.
#1. Read Old Books
We live in a day when the
knowledge of the ages; the teaching of the greatest minds who have ever lived
are available to us all. Only a few
hundred years ago, to have a book was costly and very uncommon. Ever the great thinkers and inventors of the
time were limited on the amount of books they possessed. Today, we have millions of public libraries,
bookstores and the wonder of the internet.
Some of the most helpful books
are old and have been around for generations.
I suggest that you do a bit of research in your area of interest and
find the books that are classics for that study. Go to old book stores where you can get used
books for a fraction of the cost of new ones.
This way you can build a library quickly and find some of the best books
ever written.
#2. Read New Books
One of the wonderful things
about knowledge is that it never stops.
New books are being written and published all the time. Again, do a bit of research. Who are the experts in your field of
interest? What have they written? Get the books that interest you and read
them. One of the reasons I prefer to buy
books rather than borrow them from the library or a friend, is that I write in
books. Take notes and underline portions
that speak to you. This way you can
always go back to them when needed.
#3. Read Every Day
Never fall into or use the old
excuse of, “I do not have time to read.”
You can find all kinds of time is you are willing to do a bit of
reading. You do not have to read a book
cover to cover each day to make reading a regular part of what you do. By just reading a few minutes every day, you
will be amazed on just how much you can read.
Never go anywhere without reading material. Standing in line, waiting for appointments
and the like are wonderful times to do a bit of reading. Now that we have smart phones and tablets,
reading is easier than ever.
#4. Read to Learn
Read with a purpose. If there is an area of study that interests
you, if you have a career you are pursuing or if you are trying to discover
something new, find books that are in your area and focus on them. You can learn anything form a new language to
how to fly a plane in books. Make a list
of the books you want to read and get going.
By reading with a purpose you can become an expert in any field in a
short amount of time.
#5. Read For Fun
Many people don’t care for
reading because they think it is an unpleasant and thankless task. Reading can, and should be fun and full of
adventure. Where it is good to read and
study topics that interest you, take some time for just fun reading. There is so much wonderful fiction out there
that you deny yourself if you do not read some.
You can be interested in science fiction, comedy, romance or high
adventure, no matter, there are books that will thrill and excite you. The world is full of books and you only have
to dive in.
Allow me to close with the wise
and thought provoking words of author Mark Twain who said, “A person who won't
read has no advantage over one who can't read.”
To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible
for too long, read On The Journey To
Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.
You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by
going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/. Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online
Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.
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