Is 2015 starting to look a lot like 2014? Not only are you waking up to the same routine, the ensuing weeks and months are expected to have that familiar tone. What can we do while there is still ten months remaining on the calendar? May I suggest reading a book. Not a textbook or web posting. An actual book. Hard copy, paperback, it doesn't matter. Preferably nonfiction, no facts and figures, no current events or study material. Just pick up a nice book of fiction and give it a go. If you don't know where to begin, go back to those child hood books that were required reading. Harry Potter was not around and neither were the Hunger Games or Twilight trilogies. You know the books your eyes glazed over: To Kill A Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, 1984, A Brave New World, Charlotte's Web, and The Alchemist to name a few. Our quest is not for nostalgia but the new form of "adult entertainment." Reading sparks curiosity, ignites interest, and in some cases instills action. In today's world of speed, where reading emails is the norm, glancing at riveting headlines is the spice of life, taking time to read a nice work of fiction forces you to slow down, pause, and use your imagination. | Personal development literature is fine. Books on "how to" are great, but the essence of reading is designed for you to use your imagination. If Redbox did not exist, Netflix was a bust, and the Internet was a failed experiment, what would you be doing in your "spare" time? Drinking? Okay. Eating? No doubt a necessity. I am absolutely certain that if presented with a book you would get lost. No highlighting or note taking, just flat-out, full-bore reading. The new year is upon us and the opportunity to avoid monotony is within reach. We are looking for baby steps not large leaps. And yes, it's a marathon, not a sprint. With pad and pen let's create a list of ten books. Dare I say Ender's Game? How about The Catcher in the Rye or Lord of the Flies? What about Where the Red Fern Grows? So here is the plan: carve out fifteen minutes a day and read with the goal of one book a month. If a chapter takes you over your allotted time and you enthusiastically want to continue, by all means do so, and lets resign Groundhog Year to the ash heap of history. |