[Music]
why you should read books
i'm almost sure you will remember kyle
xy the popular tv series that took to
the airwaves in the year 2006.
the lead actor was matt dallas
it was mainly about a brilliant kid who
stayed in an incubation tank that had
all the attributes of a womb for years
he could memorize the content of a book
word for word by merely flipping through
its pages
although abc canceled the show somewhat
prematurely the protagonist's
supernatural reading abilities inspired
its mostly teenage audience who wish
they possessed them
however for many people reading could be
a daunting chore they'd rather spend
time on activities that don't require as
much mental effort for instance me and
millions of viewers followed the
blockbuster series game of thrones but
very few know that the movie was a book
adaptation and even fewer people would
have read the book
but why is this so why would some folks
rather watch tv or mindlessly scroll
through their phones instead of reading
for a few minutes
in 2017 an estimated 24 of adult
americans didn't read any part of a book
according to a 2018 study
as surprising as this statistic is
before we get into the reasons why
people don't read
let's look at some of the benefits of
reading
the benefits of reading
reading has been a very vital part of
the human race survival and existence
it's how humans transmit ideas and
information
the cross-pollination of ideas
extrapolated from reading widely is how
we've been able to make advances in the
fields of technology medicine and
engineering
we indeed have things easier now thanks
to the advent of the web we can now
watch how-to videos rather than read to
learn a particular topic
while this might seem ok and more
accessible it's of importance that we
don't neglect the foundation on which
these things we enjoy or built on
reading is not the only way of acquiring
knowledge however it remains highly
relevant here are some benefits of
reading
increases your vocabulary
have you ever had a problem with
expressing yourself with the right words
reading can go a long way in ensuring
that you build up a wide range of
vocabulary which you can use in
expressing yourself every day
a poll conducted in the year 2019 by
cengage showed that 69 of employers are
more likely to hire people with the
ability to communicate effectively
nobody wants an employee who wouldn't
have the right words to say at the right
time or who wouldn't have the right
words at all
new words are continually added to the
dictionary and the surest way to get
acquainted with words as they evolve is
to read books
reading is the best way to increase your
exposure to new words you won't learn
most of the new terms from shows and
sitcoms authors are usually more
detailed in the use of words than
entertainers
it stimulates your mind and improves
your mental health
reading helps prevent cognitive decline
that can be age related although
research is yet to prove that reading
can help combat diseases like
alzheimer's studies have shown that
older people who read will maintain and
even improve their ability to remember
things preventing memory loss which is
associated with aging
your brain just like a muscle gets
stronger and healthier the more you work
it activities like playing chess and
doing puzzles engage the mind the way
reading does they're also sources of
cognitive stimulus
the national institute on aging has also
recommended that reading books and
magazines will go a long way in keeping
your mind busy as you grow older you
wouldn't want your mind to become the
devil's workshop or bored to death would
you it makes you more empathic
research shows that those who read
fiction novels that navigate the lives
of characters will show a heightened
ability to relate and understand the
feelings and beliefs of others
reading can help you develop the needed
empathy required in relating to people
in pain or need you can't read about the
genocide in rwanda and not have a heart
for the victims or read about wars and
still feel it's okay to settle disputes
using gruesome means
reading can be transformative
according to a growing body of
researchers reading transforms your mind
and thoughts
inspired by a book many people have had
their lives transformed and charted a
new course
gifted hands by ben carson so much
changed my life and thoughts back in
high school that i really wouldn't know
how i would have coped without it
reading helps in stress reduction
now this is important for some folks who
think reading is stressful in 2009
researchers carried out a study on the
effects of humor yoga and reading on
stress levels on students
the study discovered that about 25 to 30
minutes of reading lowered heart rate
blood pressure and feelings of
psychological distress in the same way
that humor and yoga did
so you see it's not reading it's
stressful but your beliefs towards it
reading helps with depression the rising
cases of suicides and deaths from
depression are pretty alarming
reading fiction can help a depressed
mind escape their troubled world into a
world where they can feel safe and
valued and if done continually it can
help them begin to see reasons as to why
they can come out from every situation
they're passing through
it lets you in on the ideas of others
having just an opinion on a subject is
detrimental to any kind of meaningful
growth ideas need to be collated from
time past and present and the pros and
cons wade in order to create something
truly outstanding this has been very
important in the numerous breakthroughs
we've made in various fields today
no idea is a waste be it successful or
not
now you know why you should form the
habit of reading and encourage the
younger generation to do the same
aside from the benefits listed above
encouraging youngsters to start reading
rather than play video games all day
helps them to build discipline
building discipline early will help them
navigate life better and form a
foundation for enduring success
so how do you go about developing the
habit of reading you can start by
following the simple steps stated below
change your mindset
the belief that reading is stressful or
difficult is one that hinders so many
from taking up the habit but nothing
could be further from the truth when you
read something exceptional and come to
realize the importance of books for
learning and growth you will find it not
only enjoyable but also a form of stress
release however to start you must find
something that genuinely interests you
read books that interest you a work of
fiction will be a good start or an
inspirational non-fiction book that you
can relate with like the ben carson book
i read years ago if the prospect of
reading a book seems daunting start with
articles blog posts and other shorter
forms that interest you
it just takes one excellent writing to
make you fall in love with reading
read at least 30 minutes every day
carve out time from your busy schedule
to do some reading as little as 30
minutes every day followed consistently
will help build a habit up over time
and before you realize it you could be
reading as much as three books a month
carry a book everywhere you go
while riding in a taxi waiting in line
in the airport you can start reading and
gainfully employ your waiting time
ebooks are now a thing so transform your
smartphone into a portable library and
make it easier to carry your books
around
now let's look at some of the common
reasons why people don't read
no time to read
understandably this is the most common
reason everyone is busy you have your
work household chores parental
responsibilities and a million other
things needing your attention you also
have just 24 hours for them each day
reading can be time consuming and some
books have thousands of pages requiring
several months to finish so why bother
at all
reading can be a lot of hard work for a
lot of people reading feels like a lot
of work especially when the books are
massive dictionary looking adult books
they get discouraged seeing the
thousands of pages filled with brain
tasking words
if it has a movie then what's the point
it used to be this statistically
speaking books that have been adapted
into motion pictures are most likely to
get less attention after the motion
picture has been released
most people would rather watch the
episodes of game of thrones than pick up
the books apparently the movie is easier
more engaging and more entertaining
nothing to gain from reading another
common excuse that people have for not
reading is that they see it as a waste
of time
they believe that they gain nothing from
reading to these people the only
benefits from books were when you read
them in school to pass exams graduate
and get a job aside from that they see
no value in books
poor concentration
it's a known fact that people tend to
get distracted easily
and when you add the ubiquitous
smartphones and other modern devices
it's not difficult to see why we have
the attention span of a goldfish for
those with weak concentration they will
find it hard to immerse themselves
completely in the reading experience
the stress and anxiety of day-to-day
living can make your mind wander
therefore it's natural to want to move
on to other activities that don't
require focused attention for long
periods
lack of support in childhood
my uncle taught literature and his
children grew up surrounded by an ocean
of books by shakespeare thomas hardy
ernest hemingway and others
having no source of entertainment other
than classical english literature at an
early age made them develop a lifelong
love affair with reading
people that don't read are usually from
homes where parents didn't read and
didn't promote it either
but it doesn't have to be this way
in conclusion the foundation for all the
progress we have today is all built on
the knowledge found within the pages of
books
so it's safe to say reading is one
activity you must learn to do if you
want to get a head start in life
even if you're not naturally inclined
make every effort to grow this habit
most of the world's greatest leaders and
successful business people have a large
appetite for books it's reported that
bill gates reads as much as 50 books in
a year warren buffett reads five
newspapers and over 500 pages of reports
daily and mark zuckerberg reads a book
every two weeks
so who knows
reading could just be the secret pass to
the billionaire club
thank you guys so much for watching if
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see you in the next one
you