Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Enhancing your Reading Skills- Are you for it ?

While reading "Competition 360" magazine, i came across a very interesting piece of article by Prakash Iyer on the topic- "Leaders are readers. Are You ?"
The URL for online version of article is as under:
http://careers360.com/news/3712-Leaders-are-readers-Are-YOU

Some beautiful thoughts from this article-
- It has been rightly said that there is very little difference between an illiterate person- who cannot read- and a literate person who does not read. Time to ask yourself the question: are you one of those literate illiterates, too ?

- If you want to take a simple step towards expanding your mind and improving your life, start reading. A book can change your life.

- If you read for just half an hour everyday, you could finish a 250 page book in just two weeks' time. That's twenty six books a year. A hundred books in next four years.
Just think, what difference would that make to the quality of your mind, your career, your life ? Just thirty minutes a day can do the trick, so stop giving excuses about not having the time to read.

- It allows you to peep into some of the finest minds in the world. Reading a book is like having a conversation with the author, listening to his stories and learning from his experiences. You can get ideas, inspiration and thoughts- all from a book! Every book you read becomes a layer of knowledge you can stand on. And every book makes you grow taller, just a little bit. So, remember, in the supermarket of life, the best things are always stacked on the uppershelves. If you are not a reader, you may never be able to reach them.

- American comedian and film star Groucho Marx was right. He once remarked that he found television very educating. He said, 'Every time someone switches on the TV, I walk into another room and start reading a good book!" Get the Groucho habit. Pick up a book Today!

- Leaders are readers. If you look around, you will find that most successful people are reading. Visit their officies, and you will find books strewn around. Visit their homes, and you will find a well stocked book shelf. Take a leaf out of their books. Start reading.


These thoughts are something that i completely resonate with. In this fast paced world, when every human being is trying to differentiate from the person next to him by all means possible, it is apt to realize that the real differentiation happens within mind. And Reading is one of the activities that helps one give an edge and helps one grow.

Irrespective of the profession one is in, Reading appropriately only helps one move in one direction. Upwards!

11 comments:

Parimala Shankaraiah said...

Thank You very much for this blog post. Being able to read 26 books in an year by spending 30mins a day looks so doable.

I have been giving excuses for so long now. Time to Start Reading regularly.

Happy Reading,
Parimala Shankaraiah

Anuj Magazine said...

Thanks Parimala. Yes, breaking a complex thing in to manageable parts simplifies it beyond our imagination.
All the best for your reading expedition!

Regards,
Anuj

Rubina Gonsalves said...

I totally agree with the concept of constant learning through reading. Just to share the advantage I scored by the habit of reading...my brother is a voracious reader so he has a big collection of books on varied subjects. Out of curiosity I once picked up the book on learning self hypnotism. Little did I know about the impact of what i was about to read. It was in this book I learnt the technique of power sleep which though of a shorter duration say 10 min can provide rest equal to sleeping 6 hours. And once you awaken you're more focused, calmer and ready to take on challenges. Thanks to learning this technique, since the time of my board exams till date of challenging projects I can keep myself composed and focused.
So we need to definitely dive into the ocean of books, you would never know with which pearl you would return :-)

Anuj Magazine said...

Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts, Rubina. I do beleive that Good books changes lives for better. The experience you shared certainly compliments that.

Regards,
Anuj

Shiva Mathivanan said...

Hey Anuj,

I must admit that it's a very impressive post. All the more this part below impressed a bit more.

"American comedian and film star Groucho Marx was right. He once remarked that he found television very educating. He said, 'Every time someone switches on the TV, I walk into another room and start reading a good book!" Get the Groucho habit. Pick up a book Today!"

Thanks for sharing this excellent write-up.

Anuj Magazine said...

Thanks Shiva. All credit to the writer of the original article- Prakash Iyer. I just summed up what i liked.

SUDHAMSHU....... said...

Thanks for sharing the article, Anuj. I was an literate illiterate till a few months back. But now I started reading book regularly, I try spending an hour everyday to read something.

I completed reading "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" and now reading "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell"

Regards,
Sudhamshu

SUDHAMSHU....... said...

Thanks for sharing the article, Anuj. I was an literate illiterate till a few months back. But now I started reading book regularly, I try spending an hour everyday to read something.

I completed reading "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" and now reading "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell"

Regards,
Sudhamshu

SK Srivastava said...

I must say a great write up, I feel like motivated, expecting me to resume my reading habit from today itself--


Thanks a ton!!

With Regards
Santosh

QA Tester said...

Hi,
Thank you so much for sharing such an igniting article, after reading this everyone will realize what they are missing without reading the books, the most inspirational words for me was" reading will take you to one direction-UPWARDS" . Thanks once again.

Vikram said...

Thanks for sharing the very informative information. I agree with your points. I am confused with your math saying 250 page book for 2 weeks? 250/14 = 17.85, so person reading capacity should be able approximately 18 pages for 30 min? Is it doable especially when you are gng through tough subjects?