“To read is to fly.” – A. C. Grayling
While New Year’s resolutions have never played an important role in my life (I can’t remember the last time I made one), I do think resolutions are essential. Life is defined by the decisions we make and I’ve come to view life as a series of adjustments. As we increase in age and wisdom, we begin to recognize opportunities in our life to grow and improve. And any decision to embrace that opportunity could best be labeled as a resolution (I’ve just never understood why we’d wait until January 1st to make the change).
On a related note, I like reading. Each time I read a new book, I am stretched as a person. I am forced to embrace a new thought and evaluate my life against it. I am taken to new places and enjoy conversations with new people. I am inspired, entertained, and invested into. I become a better person because of it… I just wish I did more of it.
That’s why I’ve taken this occasion of a new year to purposely resolve to read more books. For most of my life, I’ve averaged reading about one book per month. But for the next 52 weeks, I have resolved to read 52. After giving it some thought over the past few weeks, I have made the decision to read one book per week in2012 for a number of reasons:
1. It’ll make me a better writer. As one who enjoys spreading thoughts and inspiring others through the written word, writing is important to me. And reading always increases our capacity to write.
2. It’ll make me a better leader. Life requires relationship. Each of us interact with others on a daily basis. And our lives are either giving life to others or draining it from them. I want my life to give life to others and inspire them to live better. There is a growing passion in my heart to continue taking this message of “finding more life by owning less” to more and more people. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like down the road, but there’s a 100% chance leadership qualities will be required.
3. It’ll increase my worldview. Reading opens our heart to new ideas, new cultures, and new worldviews. Good art always does.
4. It’ll increase my breadth of knowledge. There is a world of inspiration to be discovered in books. There is also a world of knowledge to be found in books. I live my life trying to see the good in people believing that we can learn something from everybody… and since some have had the opportunity to write it down for us, it would make sense to take full advantage of their efforts.
5. It’ll increase my reading speed. Just like any skill in life, we improve with practice. While not a slow reader, I have never considered myself particularly fast either. No doubt, reading 52 books in 52 weeks will be a stretch for me. It will require my attention and practice and will likely increase my skill and pace in reading – at times, by necessity.
6. It’ll be a good example for my kids. My kids are young (elementary school) and still learning to read. I want them to embrace the practice with joy. I want them to become lifelong readers. And I want them to recognize their father as one who does the same.
7. It’ll increase my ability to dream big. While I have enjoyed reading all genres of books, I have always found special joy in biographies. Reading the stories of those who sacrificed much, inspires me to do the same. Reading the stories of those who loved unselfishly, inspires me to do the same. And reading the stories of those who accomplished much, inspires me to dream big and do the same.
8. It’ll stretch my self-discipline. No doubt, at times, this resolution will require discipline. The best ones always do.
9. It’ll stretch my creativity. New thoughts always stretch our minds to rediscover life in new ways. We begin to see the world differently. And we find new creative solutions because of it.
10. Books lead to greater relationships with the people around us. Books provide great opportunity to improve our existing relationships. Not only do they provide new conversation starters, they offer a new depth to our conversations as well. They encourage us to further pursue their claims within the world and people around us. As a result, they give us opportunity to not just grow in ourselves… but grow in our relationships with others as well.
11. It’ll help me better discern good ideas from bad ideas. One thing’s for sure, there are a lot of different approaches to life and the problems we face. Reading books provides opportunity to better discern what has worked in the past and what has not.
12. There are so many great books left to be read. There are books written to provide wisdom, inspiration, knowledge, and laughter. There is a wealth of life hidden inside of them… all we need to do is take the time to pick them up and read.
Thus far, I am on pace. I have recently completed Every Body Matters and Seven Days in Utopia. I am currently rereading Death by Suburb. And I have another book lined up to read after that. I hesitated a bit writing this post… but I desire the accountability. Putting resolutions out in a public forum encourages our discipline and resolve. It further calls us to pursue our goals as others have the opportunity to track our progress. And that encouragement will be valuable to me throughout.
Lastly, I wanted to encourage you. No doubt, if you read blogs, you are likely a reader already. But if not, there’s no better time to start than today. And while 52 books is a challenge that I believe fits into my life at this exact moment in time, you may find greater encouragement in reading 26 or 12. But either way, I’d love to have you join me in some way.
I’d also welcome any book recommendation in the comment section below.
Deb. says
I’m joining you on your quest to read a book a month. In addition to the discipline of making time to read more, there also is discipline to stop reading- I can become so engrossed in my reading, that everything else gets pushed aside.
Michelle says
Thanks for writing this post! Please keep us updated on the titles of the books you read. This month I used a gift card I recently received to purchase some books that were recommended by other bloggers that I follow whose messages also ring true to me, and I haven’t been able to put them down. I’m learning and being inspired and the books’ messages are encouraging some much needed introspection. I am interested in hearing your choices. Good luck with your project.
Cathy Hayward says
I appreciate the sentiment to starting a project like this, but putting yourself under a timeline can lead to skimming just to meet your goal. It takes time to process what you read to really get benefit from it. This is not a bad thing. It’s part of the joy of reading. Good luck
Gene says
I agree with you, Cathy. It takes time to read a book and understand it. We already rush about too quickly in life. We all need to ‘slow down.’ I think this is particularly true when reading a book. Skimming a book or ‘speed reading’ might help you pass a test in today’s forgiving academic environment, but you’ll end up wasting your time if you are reading a book and want to get the most from it.
John Cochran says
I’ve gotten on this kick of reading books written between 1880 and 1930.
There is definitely a flair to this 50 year period that I’ve not found during any other time period. It’s timeless, hopeful and honest. Kind of like the age of these United States were at that time.
I’ve been reading a book a week for 35+ years…my mother was a librarian when I was a kid so it was almost my job there for a while. After one does it for a couple of years it becomes like eating; a must to survive and a daily routine you cannot live without.
A little “side gig” I endeavor upon is reading a second book during the week that I’ve already read before…I do that once a month…so it’s technically 64 books a year…but then again, technically only 52…I suppose your individual perspective matters.
Happy reading!
selena says
This is great :) I have resolved to TURN OFF THE TV for 2012…now I just need to turn off the computer !
I am currently in the middle of two books: One is all about food…I’m a food/science geek, and the other is a marriage book. Not very exciting… but better than in the past.
Looking forward to hear what you are reading.
Sarah B R says
Currently reading Dangerous Instincts by Mary Ellen O’toole: Amazing insight from an ex FBI profiler.
Getting things done by David Allen
Body for life by Bill Phillips: the best way I found to get and stay in best shape of my life (even after giving birth!)
Spent by Frank Lipman
Danielle says
Making it a point to read as a family. And I adore it!! We have youngins so we read young classics-we are reading. Also made it my goal to become a Minimalist in a year. Wish me luck and check out my journey at
thebestofpa.blogspot.com
Danielle
Pierre Bastien says
Quite a challenge to read so many books! I had gone for a long stretch – years – without reading much. This was odd as I used to read a great deal. It tapered off for reasons I don’t really understand. But in the last year I’ve rekindled a love for reading, and I feel more nourished as a result. It’s tough to beat the value of a book – lifetimes of wisdom just sitting in your hands.
Patty says
Joshua, I’m an avid reader, and am always looking for new books… my list for you: Too long for a week, but amazingly great:
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
The Stand (Stephen King)
Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet)
World without End (Ken Follet)
Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)… might be able to read in a week
The right length for a week:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver)
Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollen)
Animal Dreams (Barbara Kingsolver)
actually, anything by Kingsolver or Pollen
Also, Ann LaMott is pretty amazing… Pretty Little Birds in particular
I am currently reading Hit by a Farm (Catherine Friend)… cracks me up.
Books on writing that have changed me irrevocably… Bird by Bird (LaMott), On Writing (Stephen King)…
Oh, how I love to give people lists of books!
-Patty
Cath says
Thanks for the inspiration! I’m not setting my goals quite as high as yours, but 2012 promises to be a year of deeper reading. A good book to read, especially in the winter, is Ordeal by Hunger, by George Stewart. It will make you so thankful for everything, and cause you to think about your own strengths and weaknesses. What if…
Blessings to you.
Marianne Hartner-Godown says
Whew! When I read the title of this post, I was afraid you were suggesting that we read LESS books as part of a minimalist lifestyle! I was about to draw the line!
I currently “read” about two to three books a week. I say “read” because I have a delivery job where most of my time is spent in my car, listening to audiobooks. My problem is that I listen to and read so many books at one time, I often forget what I have read and often find myself accidentally reading the same books over again!
I used to want to learn to speed-read because there are just too many books to read and not enough time. But then a friend reminded me that books should be devoured, page by page. Since then I’ve learned to slow down my reading and thoroughly enjoy the books.
I used to want to read all the famous classic books I could find so I could say “Why yes, of course I’ve read that book!” I wanted to understand what people were talking about when they made a reference from one of those books. But after reading quite a few, I found that so many of them (to me) were utterly BORING! I couldn’t make much sense out of them. So I decided that life’s too short to read boring books, and if a book doesn’t capture me in the first few chapters, then I move on.
I applaud you in creating a goal to read more. I think it will definitely enhance your life. My mother was the first person to teach me how to read and I’ve thanked her many times for doing so. The gift of reading is the best gift that anyone can give!