Ever Growing Ever Changing

So in the first post in this series, I spoke about some characteristics of cultured women. Over the next few posts, I want to explore each characteristic in further detail and discuss how they can be developed. Let’s start with how to get a little more reading in your life.

Why You Perhaps Don’t Read Anymore

Many people, even former bookworms, find reading falls by the wayside after school. Work, family, social commitments – life gets busy. Add the allure of social media, and carving out reading time can feel impossible. What are your personal roadblocks?

My Reading Renaissance

Once an avid reader, I realized I was neglecting books outside of work. A 400-page book took me a year! I worried that at that rate, I would never make a dent in my extensive list of books to be read and learning to be acquired. So, I decided to become more intentional. I planned the books I wanted to read, with some flexibility for recommendations from others. I also scheduled time for reading and set achievable daily reading goals.

That year, I went from one book to twelve! Now twelve books hardly compare to the astronomical figures bookstagrammers throw around, but don’t compare yourself to online book counters. Reading is not a competition and what is important is progress and not perfection.

The Power of Reading

Social media has exposed some of the ills of a society that reads increasingly less. I have seen pervasive evidence of poor comprehension skills, spelling, grammar, self-expression, and reasoning ability. Also very shocking to me is the inability to grasp basic literary devices, such as sarcasm or satire. The general ignorance about the world around us, which almost invariably leads to disturbing stereotypes and hatred for others who are different, is also concerning, although this is by no means a novelty. Here’s how reading helps with that.

• Reading expands your world. It raises your global awareness, teaching you a lot about the world, other people, and even yourself. In this sense, it helps you to have a better understanding of how the world works; promotes empathy with other cultures and peoples; and even helps you to understand what has shaped your own worldview. This in turn improves your ability to engage in thoughtful conversations and critically analyze complex issues.
• It improves your communication skills, by helping to improve your vocabulary and overall writing, speaking, and comprehension skills.
• Reading enhances focus and concentration, which is a challenge in this world of technological distractions.
• It promotes relaxation and a temporary escape from your present realities, while fuelling your imagination.

While there are of course articles to be read online and many of them are informative, books tend to allow for a far more thorough assessment of the topic in question. In the case of fiction, online material is, in my opinion, not as well written as actual books usually are. Videos, while engaging, often lack the exposure to vocabulary and literary styles found in written works, so for me, reading books is the ultimate ideal.

How You Can Read More

From my experience and those of others, here are four simple tips that could help you to read more:

• Treat Reading Like a Goal: Set aside dedicated time and break down reading goals into achievable chunks.
• Always Have a Book Handy: Carry a book to fill waiting time at medical appointments, the bank (if you are in Jamaica) or during commutes.
• Daily Page Goals: Commit to reading a set number of pages daily, such as 10 or 20.
• Read What You Enjoy: Don’t chase trends. Reading is a personal journey.

What to Read

Because reading is personal, I have no intention of specifying what you should read. If you are a beginner though, you should aim to explore different genres. Read a memoir, historical romance, science fiction, suspense novel, political analysis, etc. and see what resonates with you.

Wrap-up

Life is busy, but it’s still possible to carve out a few moments to engage in those things that feed our soul and contribute to your personal growth and development. It’s about being deliberate with our lives. Whether you consider yourself an avid reader or not, take some time out to read more consistently and watch yourself grow.