Elon Musk, in an interview, said that he learned how to build rockets by reading books. While talking with The New York Times, Bill Gates said that he read around 50 books a year. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, started his book club in 2015 to motivate himself and others to read a book every two weeks. Warren Buffett, with his voracious reading habit to learn every minuscule detail about the industry, became America’s most successful investor. Famous people like Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Emma Watson find solace in books. What exactly is the reason for which successful people read so many books?
The answer to this question is amazingly simple as reading stimulates the learning process by making people think differently and out of the box. Reading brings a flair to every person’s language skills which helps them in honing their communication skills which in turn helps them in putting their message across to the concerned person effectively.
Ten Reasons as to why successful people read so many books.
- They have increased focus.
Reading demands a lot of focus. If you are distracted, you will not be able to follow what is written in the book. Therefore, a reader develops great concentration skills which can be beneficial to them in the long run. Any job requires a lot of focus. A focused person makes his chances of committing a blunder or a silly mistake almost zero. Also, when one can concentrate fully on one thing, they can bring out the advantages and disadvantages of it effectively.
- They set goals.
A reader is always in the habit of setting goals as to whether he can finish a book in what time or how many pages can be read in a day. Therefore, they know what is under their feet and what is not. This prepares them for the future as they can set goals and complete them. It will enhance their professionalism in the long run. The road to success is setting goals for every moment.
- They spend time wisely.
It is said that if you will not value time, time will not value you. Therefore, you should never waste time. if successful people have only 20 minutes free with them, they prefer reading something during that time because eventually, it will expand their horizon of knowledge. Readers realize that if one wastes even five minutes of a day, it adds up to approximately 24 hours a day at the end of the year. Therefore, do not waste your time and read whatever you can.
- They have perspective.
Literature is something which is written from different points of view, different perspectives, therefore, widening the perspective of the reader. When you read books of different backgrounds, different genres, different perspective, it changes the way you look at things and helps you in the formation of your perspective. It allows you to imagine yourself in someone else’s shoes and take the correct decision.
- They are reflective.
While reading a book, one must think about many things and issues to understand the meaning of the book. Therefore, it is generally noted that an avid reader’s reflective skills are much better than a non-reader. Reflecting on your thoughts is particularly important to be a good leader and a good human being. If you are unable to reflect on your thoughts, then you will never know the repercussions and the consequences of anything.
- They have incredible writing and speaking skills.
It is a said fact that the most important and immediate change that anyone experiences are that there is a significant improvement in one’s language skills. The greatest orators of history have been avid readers. Not only do books frame your language, but they also show you the proper way of presenting your arguments. People like Demosthenes, Abraham Lincoln, and Nelson Mandela become such great leaders because of their passionate and well-spoken lectures which were the result of studying the great minds before them.
- They have increased memory.
Readers are fully aware of the capabilities of the brain. They know that a human brain can hold immense information. Whatever they read, it is stored somewhere at the back of their mind and it can re-surface whenever need be. When one reads more, the mind gets trained in such a manner that there is always room for more knowledge. The mind never flows. Since the readers are always in a habit of reading more, thereby retaining more information, therefore, their brains have already been molded into retaining more and more information.
- They stay fresh.
Great readers know the potential of their brain therefore they know that anything with great potential must be exercised. As a result, they perform many mind exercises which helps them in staying fresh for a longer period. Crossword puzzles and brain teasers act as a stimulant for the brain, therefore, refreshing it. A fresh mind is always the abode of fresher ideas.
- They are educated and informed.
Having read so many books already and still being in the continuous process of learning makes the readers vast reserves of knowledge. They know the smallest of things and even about those things which are unknown to most other people. Even when one reads fictional novels, one takes some life lessons from that novel. Whenever one reads anything, or any knowledge acquired never goes wasted. It will help the person at one time or another. Being informative and educated goes a long way in being efficient because one can never have too much information.
- They read to relax.
Reading as a relaxing activity is also very calming. Some people are in the habit of reading at least a few pages from a book before going to sleep. It acts as a calming therapy for them. This habit is also particularly good as while one is being calm by reading a book, simultaneously, the person is getting knowledge of some kind.
Tom Corley, in his book, Change Your Habits, Change Your Life writes about the 5-year-old study in which he interviewed a host of self-made millionaires about their daily habits. 88% of wealthy respondents reported that they spent at least 30 minutes every day on reading and self-education.
Amitabh Bachchan, a Delhi University alumnus, who is the son of the legendary writer and poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan says that books should be preserved for their magical quality of being a trove of knowledge. He also added that books also hold the key to the owner’s personality as books are the educators of the soul.
Aung San Suu Kyi, another alumnus of the DU and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, also admits that she is a voracious reader and reads regularly. She is the first woman to serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, The Minister of the President’s Office and the Minister of Electric Power and Energy.
Some famous books read by successful people include You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero, Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, Shogun by James Clavell, and Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown.
Everyone should try inculcating reading as a habit. If you do not like reading, then you must have chosen the wrong book as there is a genre for everyone.