Tag: Self-awareness (page 1 of 2)

Bibliophile: How to Fall in Love with Reading

Is it possible to be a bibliophile in this era?

A Bibliophile is someone who loves books. In today’s fast-paced world, information is everywhere. But with so much content at your fingertips, how do you sift through it all and truly learn? The answer is simpler than you might think: reading.

This guide will unveil the power of reading, not just for staying informed, but for personal and professional growth.

You will learn why reading is essential, what to read, and most importantly, how to love the process.

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN TO READ EVEN TILL NOW?

You can stay up to date on the latest research and trends in your field by reading. For instance, keeping up with the most recent findings can offer you a competitive advantage if you work in a technical field. Similarly, if you work in a creative field, branching out into new genres can inspire innovative ideas and techniques.

Reading also enhances your writing skills and communication abilities. And these are valuable assets in any profession.

WHAT SHOULD YOU READ?

The secret is simple – Read what you love until you love to read.

What do you enjoy reading now? Starting with topics you’re interested in makes reading fun. And you’re more likely to stick with it and develop a lifelong habit.

Since every person is different, finding the right books for you is more important than anything else.

HOW TO START READING?

It almost doesn’t matter what you read.

Books. Blogs. Tweets. Anything with ideas and information and learning. The best ones to read are the ones you’re excited about reading all the time.

You will eventually read enough to make a significant improvement in your life (and your interests will lead you there).

HOW DO YOU INTERNALIZE WHAT YOU READ?

Explain what you learned and read to someone else.

Teaching forces real learning. Do you know that you retain approximately 90% of what you learn when they explain/teach the concept to someone else. This is the best way to internalize and remember what you read.

3 Important Factors to Consider if you want to Love to Read

  1. Reading is not a race.

Infact, the better the reading material, the slower you should read it. Enjoy it like a delicious meal – slowly instead of gobbling it down. Take your time to absorb and understand the content fully.

  1. The number of books completed is a vanity metric.

A true bibliophile focuses on quality, not quantity.

Stop counting how many books you finish in a month or year; rather focus on what you get out of reading. The truth is that as you gain more knowledge and experience, you might start reading more challenging books or in-depth articles. Because you’re now choosier about what you spend your time on, it’s okay to ditch reading materials that isn’t grabbing your attention.

So it’s not only about finishing books; it’s also about also about the quality of learning and insight gained from them.

  1. No book or article should scare you.

Whether it’s a lengthy Medium article, complex e-books, or X threads. You should be able to pick any book or article from the internet and read it to the end. You might find many of them to be too challenging. It’s alright, read them anyhow. After that, go back and read them again and again.

After all, the beauty of online information is you can revisit it easily.

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

Embrace the Journey, Reap the Rewards

Remember, reading isn’t a race to the finish line.

Becoming a bibliophile is undertaking an adventure filled with discovery and growth. Don’t be afraid to tackle challenging material, and revisit what sparks your curiosity.

By embracing the joy of reading, you’ll unlock a world of knowledge and empower yourself to excel in all aspects of life.

So, grab that forgotten book today (or your favorite online resource!), and happy reading!

Sonder and Maintaining Your Main Character Energy

The concept of Sonder reminds me of the Justice League series.

I will explain why. When I was younger, it is one of my favorite cartoons to watch on a Saturday morning. The Justice League was a group of superheroes who banded together to make the universe a safer and better place. Even though they were together, each character had their own stories.

The Justice League worked better together, and each superhero was unique.

The Flash faced his own speedster villains. Batman always had a tragic back-story. Superman protected his Lois Lane. It’s the same thing today. We are all superheroes in our way.

And you are the main character.

Getting through your work and doing your job (or business) to make money is a multi-player game you are currently engaged in. However, your mindset and how happy or miserable you are – this is entirely up to you.

Because Life itself is a single-player game.

Life as a Single-Player Game

It’s like how Naval said.

“The reality is life is a single-player game. You’re born alone. You’re going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone…. Before you showed up, nobody cared. It’s all single player.”

With this, it’s time to start thinking as a single player and being the main character.

What does it mean to be the main character

Being the main character means you will never be good being somebody else.

You are unique for your own storyline. Listen to the little voice inside your head that wants to do things a certain way. Find the people, business, project, or art that needs you the most.

Forget about the world of competition and comparison. Life may seem multiplayer, but the deep truth is that you are only competing against yourself.

Sit down and reflect on what it means to be a main character.

How to Maintain a Main Character Energy.

  1. Choose to build Yourself.

The greatest superpower you have as the main character is the ability to change yourself. Always be internally ready for a complete change. Also don’t spend time doing things you know ultimately aren’t part of your mission.

  1. Choose to Grow Yourself.

Here is a spoiler alert!

You don’t need to be the most successful person on the planet. Just be the most successful version of yourself while working the least hard possible. You want to live in a way that if your life played out 1,000 times, Zamai is successful 999 times.

  1. Choose to Free Yourself.

Be aware that are no “adults.”

Everyone makes it up as they go along. Find your own path, picking, choosing, and discarding as you see fit. Figure it out yourself and do it.

Value your time as well.

It is all you have. It’s more important than your money. It is more important than anything. Your time is all you have. Do not waste your time.

Adopt the Concept of Sonder.

Sonder was coined to explain that everyone around you has a rich inner world just like you do.

Sonder is a realization that everyone from your family, friends to even strangers, has their own life story and experiences as vivid and complex as your own.

Treat everyone you meet like a main character as well.

It is why the Golden Rule exists – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

When working, surround yourself with people more successful than you. When playing, surround yourself with people happier than you. – Naval Ravikant

And remember this…

There is no endpoint to being a main character. It’s a lifelong process you hopefully keep getting better and better at.

The only way is to keep moving forward.

 

Prosocial: How Everyone Should Optimize Their Relationships

I went from shy, socially anxious to a self-assured prosocial person after reading one of Dale Carnegie’s books.

The book’s name was “How To Win Friends and Influence People.”  Over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, and even recommended by Warren Buffet. Carnegie’s book is full of timeless wisdom and insights that you can use to bring out the best in your relationships.

In the first section of the book, Carnegie shared the fundamental techniques in handling people. He also narrates stories of people who achieved extraordinary progress in their businesses, politics, and career. Because they applied these methods to bring out the best in their relationships.

I will tell you the main techniques, so you don’t have to spend hours studying his book. Or tens of other relationship books.

Prosocial: What Everyone Ought to Know to Bring Out The Best in their Relationships

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels

Technique 1:  Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.

Do you like to be embarrassed or ridiculed publicly for anything no matter how wrong it was?

It is the same for other people. We are all creatures of emotion, abound with dignity and self-esteem. If you don’t like to be criticized in the open, why do you want to do the same thing to others? Whether in a group or with someone else.

Besides, criticisms are like boomerangs. They always return. It’s the wrong way to be prosocial

So, resist the urge to strongly criticize or rebuke your friends, colleagues, or people above you. It will always end in futility.

Speak ill of no man but speak all the good you know of everybody – Benjamin Franklin

Understand people first to be prosocial

Instead of condemning people, try to understand them.

Try to figure out why they do what they do. Listen to others and find out their positive attributes before you assume the worst of them. This is a lot more profitable and intriguing than complaining and criticism.

This will also breed patience, and kindness in your relationship with them.

TECHNIQUE 2: Give sincere and honest appreciation

There is a big secret of dealing with people.

Do you know that the only way I can get you to do anything is by giving you what you want? This is the secret. Companies use this secret to offer rewards to motivate their employees to achieve specific goals, enhancing their overall productivity and performance at work. Businesses also use this secret negatively, by using bribery to influence decision-makers and secure deals.

There is a quote by William James that resonates quite well with this technique.

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. This is a gnawing and unfaltering human hunger, and the rare individual who honestly satisfies this heart hunger will hold people in the palm of his hand.

To bring out the best of your relationships, always remember that you are dealing with human beings who hunger for appreciation.

Be careful of flattery when being prosocial

In a bid to appreciate others, please be careful of using flattery in your words and actions.

Flattery is shallow, selfish, and insincere. It’s like those wealthy and well-connected friends who keep calling you “Chief, Boss, Chairman” at every instance but disappear when you ask for their advice. Don’t act like them please.

In the long run, flattery will do you more harm than good if you want to be prosocial.

Instead, give lots of praise and heartfelt approval in your dealings with people, and they might remember what you said for the rest of their lives. And they can even bring it up years after you’ve forgotten it.

TECHNIQUE 3: Inspire the other person to feel a strong desire.

A way to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.

To do this, you must first inspire the other person to feel a strong desire. For instance, successful salespeople do this by showing us how their services and products solves our problems. After all, customers like to feel that they are buying – not being sold.

Dale Carnegie affirms this by saying that if you can learn this technique, you will have the whole world with you.

“People who can put themselves in the place of other people, who can understand the workings of their minds, need never worry about what the future has in store for them.” – Owen D.Young.

Put yourself in their shoes.

If there is any one secret of success, it will be Empathy.

It lies in your ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own. The next time you want to persuade someone to do something – pause and ask yourself: How can I make this person want to do it?

Constantly asking and answering this question will bring out the best of your relationships.

The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition.

JUST A RECAP

Here is the checklist to navigating the journey of life with stronger relationships and building more meaningful connections:

  • Technique 1: Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
  • Understand people first.
  • Technique 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation.
  • Be careful of Flattery.
  • Technique 3: Inspire the other person to feel a strong desire.
  • Put yourself in their shoes.

That’s it. You just learned everything you need in maximizing your relationships. You are welcome.