Read a Book!

Read a book, read a book, read a book!

Not the sports page, not a magazine, but a motha#$%^&* book!

Back in the mind 2000’s when crunk music was all the rage, a spoken work poet make a satire crunk song called “read a book” (this has NSFW lyrics) 

On a side note, the message is sorely needed today, not just for entrepreneurs, but for everybody!

We are becoming a nation of bread dead zombies…

Anyway!

Entrepreneurs or not, reading books daily has great benefits.  Here are my 3 categories of reading benefits:

1. Mental stimulation. Like a muscle, your brain needs to be worked out and “exercised” daily. Just like your muscles, if you stop working out your brain, it will atrophy. But instead of having a tiny muscle that loses all strength and size, you will lose your ability to think and are more likely to get dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as you age.
2. Mental Super Powers. When you read daily, you will get these tangible benefits. Improved focus and concentration, better analytical skills, you will improve your memory, and add more words to your vocabulary. All of these will translate into improving your skills as a writer too!
3. Mental Recovery. Reading daily can also have benefits that will help you recover from the day. It will reduce your stress levels and bring a sense of calmness and tranquility (unless you read something that angers the blood!) Its also free entertainment that is often times better than any other medium. Think about your favorite movies or TV shows. Most of them started as books. Have you ever heard anyone say “the movie is better than the book!” No? Of course not. Books can do what other mediums cant do…paint your imagination!

The 3 benefits of reading can obviously apply to everyone, but to us entrepreneurs, these things are vital.

We HAVE to read everyday. If you don’t, I promise your business will not survive.

Even if you hate reading, you need to read daily.

The good news is that reading everyday will improve your reading skills (duh) but you will find that you enjoy reading.

You will naturally gravitate toward books you enjoy.

Also, the workout that your imagination gets will help you develop products and figure out new solutions to old problems.

Some of those problems may be products you can develop, or it can be ways to make your business run smoother.

Either way, that means more ways to earn money!

Just so you know, the average CEO and millionaire reads about 60 books a year.

The average American reads less than 1.

Let that sink in a bit…

Currently, I’m reading books about how to write sales copy and a few on improving my mindset.

What are your favorite books?

What books are you reading now?

I have a list of books, that I’m always looking to add to, so I’m looking for more suggestions.