48
READ A MINIMUM OF
EIGHT PAGES A DAY

image A friend and mentor of mine once gave me, as a gift, a huge collection of books by the same author. While I appreciated the gesture, the twenty-six volumes were quite intimidating to me. But as I opened the first book, he had inscribed a message that turned out to be one of the most valuable insights I have ever incorporated into my life. It said: “Becoming smart doesn’t happen overnight. Read just eight pages a day, and you’ll get through this stack in less than three years.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. To read eight pages only takes a few minutes but, cumulatively over many years, it really adds up. If you were to read a minimum of eight pages each day over a single year, that would add up to almost 3,000 pages. In ten years that number would skyrocket to almost 30,000!

Obviously, I’m talking about a minimum of eight pages above and beyond any required reading you have through school or other courses you might be taking. And newspapers, magazines, or browsing the Internet don’t count. The reading I’m talking about is quiet, additional reading that is just for you. It can be a book designed to help you in some way such as this one, or it can be a book that is just for fun. I keep a stack of books next to my bed. I usually read a little before bed and again early in the morning. Some people like to read one book, start to finish, before going on. Others, like me, like to tackle six or eight at a time, switching back and forth depending on what seems most interesting on that day.

Many people find that, once they get into the habit, eight pages turns into eighteen and sometimes much more than that. Reading does that to you. The more you read, the more you learn to love it. But because I was helped so much by the eight-page minimum, I like to keep that number as a starting point.

I used to hate it when people would say to me “Reading is a gift.” And you may hate me saying it to you, but I will anyway! Reading is a gift. It’s something you can do almost anytime and anywhere. It can be a tremendous way to learn, relax, and even escape. So, enough about the virtues of reading. Time to read on.