Why read. You can use your small stipend of time allotted to you on Earth for other things like going mind-numb in front of the TV; playing video games; diddling on your iPhone or iPad or computer, or making yourself depressed with social media…which is all too often the kinds of things we do with any extra time.
However, if you are spending your non-reading time gardening; hiking, walking or otherwise moving more; playing an instrument; journaling, writing poetry, a blog, or an actual letter; organizing; cooking nutritious food; working a crossword or jigsaw puzzle; or otherwise productive activities, I say thumbs up and go for it.
Some compelling reasons to read: It stimulates your mind; it is a great source of any kind of information you could dream of; it is entertaining; it can provide adventure, intrigue, humor; it is inexpensive (or free if you use the library or borrow responsibly from friends); it can transport you into different time periods, different places in the world, different cultures; it gets those brain neurons firing; it makes you more of an interesting person; it is relaxing; it can inspire; it improves trivia games skills; and it gives you things to talk about at parties. I maintain that reading can improve health in a variety of ways.
This year, 2017, I read, along with the Bible of course, about 23 entire books and quite a few partial ones. In 2018 I am going to shoot for 50 books. Motivational businessman guru Jim Rohn has stated that if you read just 30 pages a day, then you can read on average about a book a week. Hearing that not only challenged me to read more, but made it sound more doable to me, well, as long as some time-waster surgery is done. Refer back to paragraph one.
My next post scheduled for January 1, Reading Challenge for 2018 – Part 2, will contain my compelling, proposed reading category list to help you become a more interesting, balanced, well-rounded person that I would want to sit next to at a dinner party.
Also, check out Reading Challenge for 2018 – Part 3, which has some great specific book recommendations that I obtained from friends, family, and coworkers.
Can’t wait to see your list! When I read prominent people’s blogs (most recently Philip Yancey), I love it when they have a page about their favorite books or those that have been formative. It tells one a lot about the person, and I usually get new book ideas for myself.
Audrey, Part 2 will have 52 categories, then Part 3 will have recommendations for specific books.
BTW, I am asking various people to share 1-3 of their favorite or most influential books that they read in 2017, so I would love to hear yours.