Read On!
It all begins with an idea.
When I was in Elementary school (yes, I can remember back that far), my fellow students and I received monthly Scholastic newsprint flyers from “TAB” and “ARROW” advertising books we could buy. I filled out an order form for the books I wanted, and mom would send a cheque (remember those?) with me to school to pay for my order. I remember how exciting it was to see the piles of books sitting on the classroom counter waiting to be picked up! I anticipated taking my books home and delving into them (even if it meant reading under the covers at night with a flashlight)!
In Junior High, my local public library held a reading program during the summer. I could read any book I wanted, record my reading in a small “reading log” booklet and the library would review it and stamp it as “completed.”
As an adult, I continued to read, and a few years ago, I received the ultimate gift – a Kobo ereader. That made reading cheaper (online books usually cost less than paper copies) and it was easy to carry around.
Last year, I set a goal to read thirty books. Some books were easier to read than others (in fact, there was one that was really hard to get through), and I not only reached my goal, I exceeded it. My love of reading, firmly established since my youth, aligns with one of my Core Values (continuous learning), and is a constant source of growth and encouragement. I can’t tell you how many times, when I needed encouragement or direction, the words were right there!
Many successful people are avid readers. Investor Warren Buffet is known to read 500 pages a day and Bill Gates read 50 books a year. Their investment in reading was significant to their success!
In 2022, I purchased a “Reading Log” book to keep track of the books I read, and I included various genres in my reading (eg. Classic Literature, History, Extreme Adventure, True Story, Historical Fiction, Biography, Personal Development, Fiction and Spiritual Life). The log book allowed me to capture key points in brief and I also typed my favorite quotes into MS Word, saving my notes in a file aptly named, “Book Notes.” I also highlighted the most important quotes in bold or red text.
Once I finished a book, I reviewed my notes, which helped reinforce my learning, and I printed my notes and kept them in a file (of course, named “Book Notes”) just in case my computer went down.
My encouragement to you is to read and read as often as you can. If you are already an avid reader, great! If not, now is a great time to start and it starts with choosing one book – Read On!
Recommended Resources
- Indigo (online or in store); https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/
- A Kobo ereader is great for downloading books from https://www.kobo.com/ and is a huge space saver!
- A variety of log books are available on Amazon; search “Reading Log” to bring up a selection and choose one that works for you.
Monthly Challenge
- Choose one or two books to read this month.
- Highlight the sections that speak to you in a log book or in MS Word.
- Review your notes at the end of the month to reinforce your learning.
Inspired, Reach Everyone!
It all begins with an idea.
In 2021, I took an online course titled, “How To Speak So That People Want to Listen” by speaker and author, Julian Treasure. One of the exercises in the course was to write down my Core Values. Core Values represent those qualities and characteristics we stand for and hold dear.
My Core Values are FIERCE:
F – faith
I – integrity
E – excellence
R – respect
C – continuous learning
E – efficient
Fast forward to July 2022. While reading Darren Hardy’s book, The Compound Effect, I narrowed my Core Values down to the top three using the word IRE (no, I’m not angry): Integrity, Respect and Excellence.
Taking it a step further, while reading Alison Levine’s book (yes, I read a lot), On the Edge, she shared the importance of having a personal mantra and challenged readers to create their own - in three words. Again, using IRE, my mantra is: “Inspired, Reach Everyone!”
This newsletter, my first newsletter, is my way of leaning into and living my mantra. It is a way for me to reach out and inspire others – to inspire you, on your personal journey.
As you think about what you stand for and what qualities and characteristics you hold dear, what do you value most? Why don’t you take ten to fifteen minutes, right now, to think about your values and write them down? Can you form a word or an acronym with them (trust me, it makes them easier to remember)? Once you have done this, pick your top three values, the ones that are most important to you. Can you form a word or acronym with them? Then, from that word or acronym, can you come up with your own three-word mantra?
Once you have completed this exercise, why not challenge yourself and decide how you are going to live into your mantra?
What is one thing you can do today, even just a small thing, to get started?
This newsletter is my first step; what is yours?
Recommended Resources
- Course: “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen” by Julian Treasure; https://www.juliantreasure.com/courses/speak-listen-be
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy (available on Amazon or Indigo); for personal growth and development.
- On the Edge by Alison Levine (available on Amazon, Indigo or Kobo); leadership principles drawn from her experiences mountain climbing and skiing in extreme environments.
Monthly Challenge
- Pick one thing you can do to lean into your mantra.
- Track how many times you do that one thing in a month.
- Review your tracking at the end of the month and celebrate your accomplishment!
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.