Have you ever wondered what are the key factors for a person to thrive onto the road of success? Luck or money? I bet few would think of books as their first thought. However, many chiefs, entrepreneurs, and innovators benefit from a simple habit: reading. Yes, even the most successful person in the world learns from books. Want to be like the rich and famous? Steal their secret bookish habits!
Most leaders aspire to be successful. Some act out their ambition through habit-building, like reading every day. Magical things do not always happen suddenly in life, yet books carry out all kinds of wonderful tales, inspirational actions/quotes, and even past experiences of a person’s life. They are the best way to drive us into the curiosity of learning and improving, losing ourselves in the past or the future. Reading books and building yourself towards a broad knowledge base is the most effective way to advancement in one’s career and own life. Becoming a reader doesn’t just make you smarter, but helps you more with emotional intelligence, being curious and ‘greedy’ to discover and see the world from other people’s perspective.
Celebrities read to study from the great ones who came before them, and take in as many words as possible. Bill Gates reads an average of 50 books per year, Warren Buffet spends about 8 hours a day reading. Elon Musk reads several books at once, Albert Einstein learns from books about Maths and Physics. Also other famous leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, J.K Rowlings, Jane Austen, Queen Elizabeth, and Barack Obama are all high-volume readers. Now you might be curious. But if I actually read 8 hours a day, I do not have to keep reading, for I can get as much knowledge/facts I want in 8 hours. some would say. That is correct, but when you actually can sit down quietly and read for hours, you would find that it is not a ‘assignment’ anymore, that you have already begun liking it and soon it will develop from hobby to habit. Celebrities take reading as a liking and something to do every day. That is truly important because what I am talking about is not just about thinking just grabbing a book will make me into a rich person. But embracing the context, seeing the pictures inside your head change every time your eyes meet a word. Only 32% of the US population read for pleasure, and 42% of people never flicked through another book after graduation. When I first came to an international school, I did not know any English. Everyone in my previous school had a folder, and our teacher would place a book in everyday according to our level for us to read. I can still remember the first English book I read was called ‘ On the Sand’ and how I struggled with the words ‘still’ and ‘cross’. Nonetheless, over time, the joy you find in reading is overwhelming and I recall how excited I was when I found I could read by myself. In addition, everyone has worries and troubles, especially famous individuals. It could be very stressful sometimes to do their work, however, reading for just 6 minutes can reduce stress levels by 68%, and also improves focus and concentration, which is an essential skill in any part of success. ‘Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.’ Warren Buffet once pointed out when he was asked the key to success.
Furthermore, it turns out that successful people don’t just read anything, they are highly selective about what they read, most of the books recommended by them are options for gaining knowledge more than entertainment. What you are going to see next are some book recommendations by famous / successful people. My tip is add some to your reading list and enjoy them when you are older!
Jeff Bezos: founder and chairman of Amazon
- The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: Bezos says: “My favorite novel. Teaches pain of regret so well you will think you lived it.”
- Built to the Last by Jim Collins: “My favorite business book is ‘Built to Last,’” Bezos said in 2001, back when Amazon wasn’t even a decade old.
- Creation by Steve Grand: Bezos says this book “was influential in the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, the service that popularized the notion of the cloud.”
Daniel Ek: founder and CEO of Spotify
- Black Box Thinking by Mattew Syed: Ek says, “Since reading this book, I’ve literally incorporated this approach to problem-solving into my everyday life.”
- Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph: He says: “My two daughters are pretty spirited and I’m determined to raise them to stay that way, to know they can accomplish anything, and protect them as much as I can from the pressures they are going to face in this increasingly crazy world.
Mark Zuckerberg: Founder and CEO of Facebook
- Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull: Zuckerberg says, “I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity.”
- The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun: Zuckerberg says, “While much of what was believed then is now disproven after 700 more years of progress, it’s still very interesting to see what was understood at this time and the overall worldview when it’s all considered together.”
Reading does not directly connect to success itself, but it is one clear path to get started. Reading is a journey to a continuous road to knowledge, and now seeing it as a health benefit, challenge and motivation, could lead you to great, profound thinking and actions throughout life. Try leafing through a novel today, and enjoy the empowerment of success! ‘If I Can Do It, You Can Do It’ – How to Win at the Sport of Business by Mark Cuban.
https://hive.com/blog/successful-people-reading-habits/
https://bpc.naifa.org/blog/proven-reading-habits-of-the-highly-successful-people
https://www.quora.com/How-does-reading-a-lot-of-books-improve-your-chances-of-success-in-life
