DRINK COFEE WITH GANDHI
Reading is one of the best disciplines I know of to stay “on your game” and at your highest. Reading from a great book is really all about having a conversation with the author. Just think, tonight – by reading Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, over a cup of coffee – you can get behind this great man’s eye balls and learn what made him tick. Want to hang out with Jack Welch tomorrow? Grab his book. Same for Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Dalai Lama. And reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you. The hand that puts down a great book will never be the same. As Oliver Wendell Holmes observed: “A mind once stretched by a new idea can never return to its original dimensions”.
When I was growing up my father once told me: “cut back on your rent or cut back on what you spend on food but never worry about investing money in a good book.” That powerful though has accompanied me through life. His philosophy was that all it takes is one idea discovered in a single book to life you to a whole new level and revolutionize the way you see the world. And so our home was filled books. And now I try to devote at least an hour a day to reading. That habit alone has transformed me.
Perhaps my greatest gift to my children when I die will be my library. These books shaped my thinking, formed my personal philosophy, and made me the man I am. To me, my books are priceless.
The old expression is true: “knowing how to read and not reading is almost the same as not knowing how to read.” Make time to read something good each day. Fill your mind with big ideas and dazzling thoughts. Use books to flood your soul with hope and inspiration. And remember, if you want to lead, you really need to read.
“Reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you”
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