Your Summer (Streaming) Reading List

Successful people are voracious readers (or listeners!) Are you intentional about what you are reading?
When you hear about a book and do you add it to “the list?” What sets apart successful people is what you do with the list. There are more books published than you can read in your lifetime. The more focused and discerning you are, the more benefit you receive from your reading.
Steve Leveen of Levenger wrote “The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life.”  This insightful tome suggests that no one can be well-read in all or even most things. The secret is to take control of your reading life.
Here are some suggestions to create your custom reading strategy:

• Start – with a list of topics. What are your interests and passions? What do you want to learn about or improve?
• Collect – titles of books that you add to your candidate list; these are candidates for your attention not candidates of obligation. If someone makes a recommendation, ask them why they like the book so much. Make sure it fits your areas of interest.
• Focus – Pick a topic, identify the best authors and most renowned books in your areas of interest. Why settle for less than the best? Focus your reading time and attention on the best books from your candidate list rather than random books. Plan your reading then read according to your plan!
• Capture – you get the most benefit from things you learn AND apply. So create a method that works for you to capture the key learnings and put them into action.
• Enjoy – do not finish a book that you are not enjoying (unless it’s a class assignment!) Don’t spend time slogging through a book that brings you no pleasure or benefit.

Start today to create your custom reading list of books that suit your unique interests. Take control of your reading (or listening) life and make a plan.
 
Question to Ponder?  What will you do to capture and apply the nuggets of wisdom you learn from everything you read?