Do It Again
I hope I do not have to convince you of the importance of reading. Reading can not only be a source of enjoyment, but by reading, you can learn new things and become better educated if you want. I do not want to diminish either of these, but there is another important thing that reading can do for you. It can stimulate your thinking. Something you read may not be new, but it may be presented in a new way, and as a result of that, it resonates with you differently and stimulates your thinking in a new and important direction. Indeed, one of the primary sources of writer's block is a lack of reading. It may be surprising, but when I start reading (or rereading), all of a sudden, ideas about what I need to write appear. (I am no longer surprised.)
Generally speaking, though, I’ve tended to read a book once and then not read it again. I mentioned in a Issue 9 that I think the book “Awareness” by Anthony deMello is a great example of a book that should be read yearly. (It has been more than a year for me, I confess.) I’ve a couple other purely religious/spiritual books that I’ve read multiple times, but rereading great books has not been my practice and I think maybe it should be. Generally, I’m always looking for something to read that I’ve not read before. But if you are growing, waking up, then reading a good book a second time can often be like reading it anew. You discover things you missed the first time through and, of course, you get reminded of other things you might have read the first time, but which somehow didn’t sink in and stay with you.
What to read. How to pick? I fully support the idea that if you want to get better at business, there is value in reading business books. If you want to get better at cooking, read books about cooking. But there is another avenue that is less often explored. Read fiction. One of the most helpful business books I’ve ever read was a novel about a fictional character who was a pirate. I was reading it for the enjoyment, but in the process, I got educated. I find this approach especially helpful when I’m tired of reading the business books or the cooking books.
Here is a suggestion. The next time you need and want something to read, go to a library (or a book store). Then, browse. I recall going into a long gone bookstore in Westerville, Ohio in the 1980’s, looking for something to read, but not knowing what it was. I just perused the titles for a while and an individual book sort of popped out and grabbed my attention. I bought it. It was the PERFECT book for me. It was a book that started a process of completely transforming who I was. My intellect didn’t pick it. My intuition did. I’ve since used this approach many other times in my life and it is remarkably effective. If you would like some suggestions of some of the transformative books I’ve read, including the title from back in Westerville, read on!
If you are still reading, I’m thinking (well, at least hopng) you are looking for a transformation, (that may or may not yet be in your awareness.) The books that follow have all had that sort of impact on me. They were the right book at the right time for the right thing. Perhaps they might be that for you too! (And, FYI, some of these books are now out of print and you will have to hunt to find them).
By the way, I strongly recommend you read books, not listen to them. When listening to an audio book it is easy to become distracted and miss valuable content. So use your eyes, not your ears.
“Creating Health” by Deepak Chopra, MD
“Frogs Into Princes” by Bandler and Grindler
“Satsang with Baba, Volume 1” by Editor (or any of Volumes 2-6)
If you found this issue helpful and want to hear more from Greg, be sure to subscribe to his podcast, Pants Around Ankles Prevention, where each episode delivers a punch of truth to help you wake up, gain perspective, and live with greater clarity and purpose. Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
This issue was originally published by Greg Hayne on Substack.