Hey sorry I’m behind in my posts this past week, I had been sick all week, which rarely do I ever get sick, so I don’t know what to do with myself when that happens. Anyways, I’m up and running again!
I just wanted to share nice a little milestone in my quest to maximizing my potential: According to my account on GoodReads, I have now successfully read 100 unique books!
There is actually an even more surprising statistic in that I completed my 25th book of this year alone, when I think I took about 4 years to read the previous 75 books. I think part of it is that I’ve graduated from GRCC and so I haven’t had to invest time into studying, but I’ve also picked up a split shift at my work so its not like I gained that much more free time either.
How I’m reading faster
I will expand on these concepts at a later time, because I really want to unpack them on a more detailed way, but I have been utilizing a few tricks this year that has caused this exponential growth in my reading rate:
Speed Reading: I watched a couple videos and took a short class on speed reading, and just with one simple trick I’ve doubled the rate I read words.
Speed Listening: Did you know your brain can comprehend words faster than someone can speak them? It’s true! I decided to test this out and now I listen to all my audiobooks at either 1.75x or 2x speed.
King County Library System
There is one more critical element that has given me access to significantly more options than I was utilizing previously, and that is audiobooks from the King County Library System.
I have an account with Audible Inc where I get one new audiobook every month, and it has been great! I now have a library of over 40 books in audio format. The problem was I was finishing books faster than I was acquiring new ones, so I would just reread some of my older books in the meantime. But then I heard about how the King County Library expanded it’s audiobook inventory and now they’ve got tons of great books immediately downloadable straight to my phone! I now primarily use the app by the KCLS and have almost an unlimited options for books to read. Just in the past 6 weeks I’ve completed 12 audiobooks through this app, with the obvious benefit that it doesn’t cost me anything to borrow these books is extremely beneficial.
Why is this important?
I share all this, one to share in my personal victories, but also I’d like to be an encouragement to you. I think we all know that there is incredible wisdom contained within books, but the sad fact is that many of us don’t take the next step and discover what those insights are. I don’t think these are verified statistics, but one study claims that 1/3 of all Americans will never read another book after high school, and the majority of Americans will read less than 5 books in their lifetime.
If we want to reach our potential, books are the most easily accessible resource we have to equip us to reach that goal. Start off with something simple, and download the KCLS’s “Overdrive” app (This also goes for Pierce County Library System as well) and from there you can borrow audiobooks or even ebooks if you prefer. It’s fast, simple and free! For one week just replace your music with an audiobook or something, just get started! Your future 100 books can start right now. I didn’t get into reading until after high school and I’m now on pace to read 100 books on a yearly basis if I’d like!
Don’t get intimidated by a daunting goal, just take one small step forward, the rest will fall into place as you carry momentum forward.
—Grant X.
Currently reading:
“The Magic of Thinking Big” – David Schwartz
“Conversational Intelligence” – Judith Glaser
Life verse: “But a generous man devises generous things and by his generosity he will stand.” -Isaiah 32:8
Life Mission Statement: To be intentionally focused on providing opportunity and adding value to others.
