"94% of the wealthy, on a daily basis, read newspapers, newsletters, magazines, blogs and other digital media vs. 11% of the poor.” – Tom Corley at RichHabits.net"
Let that sink in for a moment. One of the goals of wealthy, successful individuals is a relentless pursuit of improvement. Learning is one of the things they never stop doing. Warren Buffet reads 6 hours a day.
Information Marketer and Consultant Dan Kennedy uses a measuring stick to determine somebody's wealth. He says, "Show me a person’s library, and I can estimate how much income they make every year." I've noticed a similar trend. Find me somebody who is a leading success in their field, and I’ll show you somebody who reads often.
Reading helps you borrow other people's brains. Instead of searching around for information expertise on a subject, reading an expert's books and blog posts helps you absorb the information in one sitting. There is an old saying, "Success leaves clues." Many successful people write books, and if you want to learn, absorbing their expertise helps you take the escalator to success.
Get in the Game
Reading helps you get "in the know". What better way to beat your competition than to learn more about the field you work in. Great leaders and fast track employees find ways to learn about the field they are in. They study their competitors, industry trends, and hot topics in their field. Nothing looks better at a meeting than having beneficial information to share with your team. If nobody else but you knows about it, you are an instant expert on the matter.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. - Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
I’ve seen people get project management leads because they knew the answers nobody else had. They got these answers from reading voraciously. Over time, they built an extensive knowledge of their field. Their quick thinking catapulted them ahead of the pack.
Not just NonFiction
Even novels help power up your brain. NeuroImage journal published a study on how words with strong sensory associations such as smell, lit up the brain on a magnetic resonance imaging machine. Powerful stories stimulate our brain and help us grow. The more stories you read and learn, the more applied knowledge you gain for problem solving.
What Others Are Reading
Success repeats itself. One way to help you get ahead is to find somebody successful, and find out what they read.
If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
By peering into a person's reading habits, you learn more about them as well. You learn about their passions, their interests, and where they want to improve. By following this, you get a roadmap to success.
If you ever hear a successful person talk about their favorite books, write them down. Because what they found in the book helped them climb the success ladder. It's not just books either. Also take note of what blogs, newspapers, magazines, and other publishing they follow.
If You Don't Read, You Don't Lead
Pew Research Center ran a study in 2014 about the average number of books an American reads each year. The sad number…4. What is also interesting is how many Americans are falling behind on standard of living. I think there is a direct correlation between book reading and success.
