CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are said to read 4-5 books a month, where the average American reads only one book a year. That inspires, depresses, and comforts me—all at the same time.
Like many of you, I spent several hours on December 31 fine-tuning my business goals for the new year. As usual, in the learning category there is a goal to read more. Intention without planning always fails, so I have calendared 30 minutes at the start of the day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays specifically for reading. I’m not ready to go full week yet. And I’ve created a reading log to chart progress, just like an elementary school child. Maybe I’ll even treat myself when I fill up a page.
In 2020, I discovered BookBub.com. It allows you to create a free profile then sends an email every morning of books under $3.99 (with one or two free every day) in categories that you choose to download on Amazon Kindle or B&N Nook. It is safe to say I’ve downloaded more books than I’ll ever read—so I have a brimming library at the ready as well as a recommended list of reading sitting in a wish list. If you have trouble finding what to read and don’t mind digital copies, BookBub is a great place to start, especially since you can’t browse in the public library anymore.
In 2020, I actually managed to read several books all the way through:
- A Beginner’s Guide to the End by Miller, et al
- Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath (a short re-read from years ago)
- The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
- The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy
And I got wrapped up in a few books for pleasure reading including:
- Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar
- Morna’s Legacy (books 1-3) by Bethany Claire
- The Xoe Meyers Series (books 1-3) by Sara Roethle
- Family Ghouls by Alex A. King
With great intentions, I read a few chapters in several other books, but didn’t finish:
- Becoming Your Own Banker by R. Nelson Nash
- Put More Cash in your Pocket by Loral Langemeier
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- Living Life Backwards by David Gibson
- How Good Attorneys Become Great Rainmakers by Mark Powers and Shawn McNalis
- Endless Referrals by Bob Burg
- Secrets of Attorney Marketing Law School Dares Not Teach by Richard Jacobs
Of course, there are many other books that I used as a resource to find content. And my hubby and I read several books in the Bible together throughout the year.
I would love to hear from you. What are you reading? Are there any great books that changed your life, enhanced your business, or just had a storyline that captured your imagination so you could not put it down? What’s on your January reading list? Have you found any link between reading and success in your own life? What are you doing to turn the intention to read more into your 2021 reality?