All
of the books that we will ever need to make us as rich, as healthy, as
happy, as powerful, as sophisticated and as successful as we want to be
have already been written.
People
from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life
experiences, people that have gone from pennies to fortune and from
failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences
so that we might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered
their wisdom and experience so that we can be inspired by it and
instructed by it, and so that we can amend our philosophy by it. Their
contributions enable us to reset our sail based upon their experiences.
They have handed us the gift of their insights so that we can change our
plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. We can rearrange our
lives based on their wise advice.
All
of the insights that we might ever need have already been captured by
others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety
days, with this treasure of information that could change our lives, our
fortunes, our relationships, our health, our children and our careers
for the better, how many books have we read?
Why do
we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we
complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but
nourish the cause? How do we explain the fact that only three percent of
our entire national population possess a library card—a card that
would give us access to all of the answers to success and happiness we
could ever want? Those who wish for the better life cannot permit
themselves to miss the books that could have a major impact on how their
lives turn out. The book they miss will not help!
And
the issue is not that books are too expensive! If a person concludes
that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until he must pay
the price for not buying it. Wait until he receives the bill for
continued and prolonged ignorance.
There
is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone
who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are
serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed
limitations they have placed on their reading skills and their reading
habits. There are a multitude of classes being taught on how to be a
good reader and there are thousands of books on the shelves of the
public libraries just waiting to be read. Reading is essential for those
who seek to rise above the ordinary. We must not permit anything to
stand between us and the book that could change our lives.
A little reading each day
will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period
of time. But if we fail to set aside the time, if we fail to pick up the
book, if we fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly
move in to fill the void.
Those who
seek a better life must first become a better person. They must
continually seek after self- mastery for the purpose of developing a
balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the
dictates of that philosophy. The habit of reading is a major stepping
stone in the development of a sound philosophical foundation. And in my
opinion it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of
success and happiness.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from
the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine:
subscribe at: http://www.jimrohn.com
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