Read. But don’t just read. Reflect.
Read books, articles, newspapers, magazines, and blogs that can inspire you to think. Take notes if you would like. Reflect on the sentences. Reflect on the words. Reflect on the meanings. And reflect on how to apply the ideas to your own life. But also, be willing to ask questions, and if necessary to challenge the points of view expressed by the authors. Books, like education, cannot transform lives unless people are willing to think critically, and apply the ideas actively to their lives.
Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything. (Plato)
If I come across a good book, I reread it. I savour the messages, again and again. Maybe it’s just one phrase. Maybe it’s the majority of the pages. Even when the ideas are familiar to me already, I enjoy reading an author who can express these same ideas in a different way. They inspire me, encourage me, and motivate me as I read. Sometimes their ideas reinforce my passion. I generate my own insights and ideas, and sometimes, I write something down as a reflection. And when I read things that I disagree with, it can still be a valuable learning experience. It is a healthy life process to be exposed to opposing points of view, and to learn to think critically about everything that I see or read.
Keep reading. It’s one of the most marvellous adventures that anyone can have. (Lloyd Alexander)
It is healthy to read different authors who have different points of view. If you only read things that you already agree with, then you won’t have as much opportunity to challenge yourself and to grow.
When you encounter some healthy, positive ideas, ask yourself these questions: “Can I relate these insights to real-life examples? Can I relate these insights to my life? Can I apply these ideas to my life, using a whole new perspective?”
I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book. (J.K. Rowling)
I love to be inspired. I adore the entire process of reading, reflecting, challenging myself, and applying new ideas to my life. Reading is so therapeutic.
No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance. (Atwood H. Townsend)
Books are the carriers of civilization… They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print. (Barbara Tuchman)
Affirmation: I enrich my life when I read.