The Importance of Books

Ever since I was a kid, I have always had a fascination with books. The way it told stories about people, the way you could imagine a scenario being played out in your head, the way you could convey your message to millions of people. The ability of that is so significant, and I don't think people realise the power behind it.

At the back end of 2020, I promised myself I would start reading regularly on finance, self-development, entrepreneurship, business and leadership. I've read 20 books since, which involve books from authors such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Robert Kiyosaki, Grant Cardone and Samuel Leeds, and all of these books have taught me at least one thing from them.

The question people ask is: "Why would I read 100-500 pages to learn just one thing?". It's quite simple - reading 20 books in a year has helped me learn (at the very, very least) 20 new things, which means that I am now a more understanding, wiser person. My mindset on a whole host of subjects has completely shifted in the right direction, and I'm a much better person as a result.

I feel that people look at books as outdated, take too long to read, not interesting enough and plenty more. This is why Audiobooks is now a thing. Personally, I'm not a fan of Audiobooks, I tend to lose focus easily with them and I never actually remember much of the information. I can completely understand that it may be the polar opposite for some people - but for me there's nothing better than having the physical copy of a book to learn from.

This leads me onto another problem I have with the whole idea of books. If you go into Asda, Tesco and other supermarkets, there are story books and autobiographies, but never any self-development books. This leads me to question why. Is this the reason as to why a lot of people - especially in my generation - don't like to read? Is this why people find books boring - because Netflix is now the alternative? You can't find the things I have learnt from self-development books on Netflix. I spend a lot of time visiting different stores just to be intrigued as to whether they have any self-development books - and I'm yet to find a proper supermarket that has any. Now, don't get me wrong, I haven't been to every supermarket in England, but I've been to a lot in the North and none of them have any.

The whole stigma with books as being outdated and not worth the time is complete nonsense - on the basis of you find a book that you're actually going to learn from. I have bought self-development books for people and they've just not bothered reading it. There's no advantage to me in this scenario, and everything to gain from them, yet they still can't be bothered to open it up and read. It's bonkers.

If you've even had the slightest of inclines that you want to begin reading, and more importantly, growing your knowledge and learning from books, then I highly recommend you read: The 10 Rule by Grant Cardone; Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki; Buy Low Rent High by Samuel Leeds and Why The Rich Are Getting Richer by Robert Kiyosaki. These are but a few of the books that have helped me mentally, physically and financially.

For those who aren't interested in books at all, I can't tell you enough how important they are for the development of your mindset, knowledge and your future self. If you simply do not want to sit down for hours to read, then perhaps use the Audiobooks alternative, but whatever you do, you need to learn. If you're not growing, you're dying - and if you're not learning you're seriously damaging your potential.