This reminds me a bit of that business movie that was floating around corp land, called Paradigm Pioneers. One of the things that struck me was that, somewhere toward the end of the film, the narrator asked, “So how do you become a paradigm pioneer?”. His answer, standing in a magazine isle of a bookstore was to read everything – not just on one subject, everything.
What jumps out at me here is:
that we’ve become so specialized in our careers that programmers only read programming books; executives read business books; and only academics read literature. (OK, vast generalization but I believe it’s a sad trend).
Maybe you won’t become a “paradigm pioneer” by being broader in your reading but maybe you’ll become more of a “people pioneer” and meet new and different people by expiring bits of the world that expanded reading can bring. Give it a try. This advice from Little Dumb Man should help.
One of the most common personal development resolutions is to read more. Reading is a great way to fire up your brain, increase your vocabulary, gain a richer understanding of your own or other cultures, and enjoy some good stories to boot!So what’s holding you back?
Maybe diving into a “To Read” list as long as your arm feels daunting, or you’re embarrassed to go back to book club after skipping for three months in a row. Maybe you just haven’t found the time to read lately. Whatever’s keeping you from tackling that list of books, these tips may help you find your way back into the pages:
- Start small.
If you don’t have time to read, you’re probably not going to wake up tomorrow and knock out 150 pages (although if you do, more power to you!). Try reading for 15 minutes before you go to sleep, or reserve part of your lunch break for reading time. Whatever reading time you decide on, though, stick to it.
The Red Elm 