10 Benefits You Encounter When You Read More Often

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Books get a bad rap. For the longest time I thought that reading had to be one the most boring past times there could be. I remember getting reading assignments in school and just groaning in agony. It was not until I started to read books I picked, that I began to enjoy the practice of reading for reading sake.

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I’m a busy girl so I like to listen to my books via Audible. And since I’ve started listening to books I enjoy, a funny thing has happened. It has helped me in more ways than on in my life and career. I want to share those benefits with you and why I think you too should read more books.

10. It Keeps You Interesting

Since committing to my Audible account, I have become a person overflowing with great information that I love to share. I am a freak for self-help books and biographies about successful entrepreneurs and the history of successful companies; so whenever I get the opportunity to share a tip, I jump on it. Since I’ve read a variety of books (I listen to one a week), I always have something good to share. I feel that this alone ensures that I always have good stories to tell.

One of my favorite books to share tidbits from is The 4-Hour WorkWeek. I love this book because not only does it just speak to my life in regards to a millennial’s perspective of the work world, but it has a lot of encouraging advice. I know I have suggested this book before, but it is a must read.

Read The 4-Hour Work Week here

9. You Learn More About Yourself So You can Grow

Once I graduated from college, I was in a panic that my brain would soon turn to mush since I was no longer in an environment where I could learn and better myself. Once I got my Audible account, this was not a worry for me anymore. Not only was I learning a ton about myself, but I was learning new skills that would ultimately make me a better person.

One book that I refer to as my psychologist in a book is The Birth Order Book. I am the 2nd oldest of 7 girls, and after listening to this book, I learned the root of my issues. It was scarily accurate, plus it’s a good read. If you want to learn more about why you behave the way you do based on your birth order, this is a great one to listen to.Read The Birth Order Book  here

8. It Impresses Interviewers

I don’t mean to quote books I listen to during job interviews, but sometimes it happens to come out. I’ll reference a book I listened to a few weeks ago or a book I am listening to now, and (if it is a famous book) there is a chance the person interviewing you may have read or heard of it. When you have that transaction with someone where you realize you have something in common, it usually puts you in a better light. I have had past experiences in interviews where it works almost like an icebreaker.

One book I often reference is Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, the creator of Zappos. His story is so interesting, and I have learned plenty about establishing a company culture and how some startup companies operate after reading this book. I highly recommend it.Read Delivering Happiness here

7. The Books You Read Put You in Exclusive Groups of People

Speaking of impressing other people, I have these moments when I meet someone new, and they say something that I know came specifically from a book I also read. I immediately ask them if they read “Book X” and if they tell me yes, we go on and on about parts of the book we liked or did not like. It is a great feeling. Not only because I think talking about books is more substantial than speaking about celebrity gossip. But if someone decided to read the same book as you, there may be other elements of your lives that intersect as well regarding interests.

One book that has had a profound effect on my life is reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Something I have learned is that people who I find have read this book end up being very close friends with me. Because you do not just read the Secret, you apply the lessons from it immediately or call bullshit on it do something different. But the chances are that if you finish it, you cannot help but feel inspired by it.
Read The Secret here

6. You Learn More about Improving Your Business

I have two categories of books I listen to: ones that make me a better person, and books that make my business better. I really value reading books to make my business better because the success of my company falls on how much I know how to make it grow. Therefore, it is imperative that I continue learning. I read many white papers, attend webinars, read blog posts, subscribe to newsletters, etc. But my favorite way to learn is listening to audiobooks since I have the ability to focus more when I am up and away from my computer.

I decided to read  Good to Great by Jim Collins because it was referenced so many times in Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh that I felt I did not have a choice but to listen to this one next. And I am so glad I did. There are so many insights to this book that it should be titled How These 11 Companies we all Know Got to Where They are Now. I enjoyed this book and use so many principals from it in my own business. One of my favorite quotes from Good to Great is: “Good to great companies first got the right people on the bus–and the wrong people off the bus—and then figured out where to drive it.”
Read Good to Great here

5. You Learn More About Your Health

I’ve listened to so many books about my health that it took a minute for me to realize how many changes I have made in my life from the books I listened to. I became a Vegetarian after listening to The End Of Dieting by Joel Fuhrman, and I started getting back in shape after listening to The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. The way I see it, if you are not in the shape you want to be, or are just curious as to what happens to your body as you age, there are so many books you can read!

One book in particular that I loved is Moody Bitches by Julie Holland. I liked this book because it talked about so many things I knew nothing about. For example, did you know that one key to health is preventing a leaky gut, or that women will eventually lose sensation in their nipples as they get older? This book is filled with all the answers to the questions you may be too shy to ask your doctor about, but these are things all women go through. Give it a read!

Read Moody Bitches here

4. You Learn More About Your Relationships

When I started my first job out of college, I was hell bent on doing a great job and impressing my boss. I wanted to know that my job had meaning and that I was appreciated. When reality fell short of my expectations, I found myself in a rut and desperate for answers.

Then I read The Confidence Code, which gave me insight as to how to get my confidence to a level to do a great job and appreciate myself for it. I also read Katty and Claire’s book called Womenomics that I also recommend, and it broke down all the factors in our society that put women in this self-conscious bubble. Sometimes you have to know how to play the bureaucracy game, and other times you have to be able to build yourself back up. Claire and Katty show you how.
Read The Confidence Code here

3. You’re Inspired to Be a better Person

Something that I have learned from experience is that when you are not learning, you are not growing. And when you are not growing, you are stagnant. And when you are stagnant, you become unhappy. Therefore, personal growth leads to happiness.

I knew growth was pretty significant in life, but I did not realize to what degree until I read The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. It does not matter how busy you may be; growth should be something that is prioritized and developed long after you leave school. Hence, my Audible account.
Read the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth here

2. You Can Learn Without Interrupting Your Busy Schedule

I am a busy gal. I run a business, manage people, and make time for friends and family. So this is probably why I do opt to listen to audiobooks instead of reading books. What I have found is that I am maximizing my time by listening to audiobooks. When I’m driving, I listen to audiobooks. When I go for a run, I am also listening to audiobooks. Sometimes my books are so good I look forward to going for a run to continue. I take the time of the day that is mostly being wasted, and I turn it into my classroom.

One book I love about managing your time and knowing what to work on is called The Millionaire Master Plan by Roger James Hamilton. He talks about how he was running a business and had his car repoed at the time. This was an eye opener for him to focus on what he was good at and also what he enjoyed doing in his business and left the rest to someone else. His whole mantra of his book is based off a famous quote from Einstein in which he says: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” With that in mind, you take a quiz to determine your genius style so you know on what you should focus. I loved this book, though I have to admit it was a little hard to follow along with the charts in an audiobook. But luckily, there were printed docs for me to follow after the fact.
Read the Millionaire Master Plan here

1. It Keeps You young

Finally, my most important reason for having an Audible account is because I truly believe it keeps me young. Have you ever met that person who just refuses to listen to a new perspective, set in their ways and their old music, and has just given up on learning in several areas of their life? I bet you have and to me, this is a definition of an “old geezer.” On the other hand, there are people who may or may not be older, but are steadily asking questions, taking courses and reading new things fervently. I don’t care what your age is if this describes you; You are young at heart for sure. The fountain of youth is one’s ability to continue learning, no matter what age they may be. And since I make a point to learn something new in every book I read, my reading habits keep me young.

I read Siddhartha in high school and loathed every minute of having to read this book. I was so happy when it was finally over. I picked it up on my own to read it again in college, and could not believe all the concepts I had missed since I did not really appreciate it in high school. This is the story of a young Buddha who found his way to his true calling, but before that dealt with bad decisions, and breaking many of his personal values. But in the end, it led him to a place where he felt was his sole calling.

I now love this book because the point is that everyone has their own way of learning and living their lives. Your way may not be an easy way to your final destination, and it may not even be the best solution to where you are trying to go. But if you make mistakes and you learn from them, and those lessons lead you to a better path, then continue on. As in this book, and in real life, everyone has their way of learning, and books are mine.
Read Siddhartha here

I love reading, and (like my high school reading of Siddhartha) I did not appreciate it until now. We should all make a point to continue to grow and improve ourselves, and Audible has a library that has almost every book I am interested in reading. If you are new to Audible, you can sign up for an account and get your first Audiobook for free. Sign up here and start learning more today! And continue learning on Millennials!

Do you have an Audible Account? What do you love about it? Let me know in the comments. I also want to hear about your favorite books are that you’ve read? I love book recommendations!

Sources: Audible.com

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated for any purchase made by clicking on them. Thank you for supporting Miss Millennia Magazine!**