Sunday, August 10, 2014

The Purpose of Reading


There are just too many books– good books, great books, fun books, instructional books, spiritual texts, the classics, beach novels, “serious” literature, and more.  It goes on and on.  If you could read a book a day for the next ten years, you still wouldn’t even be close to reading all that’s available.  Bookstores can be overwhelming.  So can the well-intentioned recommendations of friends – “You have to read this book.”  (I’ve been guilty of saying that myself.)  If the publication of all books, magazines, newspapers, and Internet content stopped right now, we still would have too much to read.  
We could throw up our hands in despair and look for the remote, but that won’t solve the problem.  We need to do something.  We need to read or at least have an idea of what’s available to read.  The more we read, and the more widely we read, the more we think. Our thoughts, for better or worse, often determine the quality of our lives.  All of our loves, hatreds, beliefs, and even our self-image come from our thoughts.  We can also find our thoughts through our Purpose.
So what do we do? 
Maybe I can help a little. 
I read…a lot.  I’ve read at least 60 books over a wide variety of subjects in the last five years alone.  That’s not a lot, but it’s more than many.  In addition to reading, I write…a lot.  I’ve kept private journals for almost 40 years.  I’ve written three books, and published one.  In the last year and a half, I’ve written nearly 700 blogs.  I love writing and I love reading.  Even more, I love sharing what I’ve read in a way that’s practical and appealing.  I want to share what I’ve read, how it’s helped me, and most of all, how it might help you.  This is part of my Purpose.
Here’s what I’m not doing:  I’m not writing book reviews.  I’m already recommending these books, or I wouldn’t have read them in the first place and I wouldn’t be taking the time to write about them. There won’t be a rating system.  No books will be getting stars or happy faces or a thumbs-up.  While I may point out merits or shortcomings of something I’m reading, that’s not the purpose. The purpose is to share something that’s helped me in the hopes that it will help you.
This will also not be a “Cliff Notes” version of the book.  The main ideas will be present, but if I’m writing about a fictional piece, I probably won’t be giving- away the ending.  If it’s a self-help book or a spiritual text, I won’t be covering every point, only the main ideas.  If you don’t read the books I’m recommending, then you will miss a lot.   I want you to read these books.  They’ve helped me and they can help you.  But if you can’t or choose not to read the books recommended here, at least you’ll be able to discuss them intelligently after reading these blogs.  You can agree or disagree with my perspective, but you’ll have something to consider.
Using Steven Covey’s idea in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I want to begin with the end in mind.  Here’s the picture in my head.  Eventually, this website will have hundreds of books to choose from, across many genres.  There will be indexes, by title and subject.  I’d even like to create an app for this.  Most of all I want to see people getting excited about reading books that might help them find their Purpose.
Welcome then.  I hope this is the beginning of an exciting and fruitful journey for all of us.  Now let’s Get Started and Keep Going!

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