GanzChroma 0047
I read a lot of books, but not in the way you might expect. I mostly like books with hard facts, an occasional good novel, dark edgy mangas, clever stories disguised as comic books, and autobiographies of remarkable people.
Occasionally, I delve into self-help books, but these often stretch what could be a blog post's worth of content into 200 pages and don’t demand a start-to-finish journey.
I usually don't read these books from beginning to end. In fact, more often than not, I start from the last chapter and work my way to the first. Even then, I read the first and last paragraph of a chapter, and if I grasp both, I skip the rest of the chapter unless it intrigues or resonates with me.
I know it's weird, but you don't have to read books linearly. You're an adult; you can read them any way you want. If you're smart enough to understand the ideas, you don't need endless examples of how 'X' was implemented and changed 'Y' person's life.
I'm not going to fact-check these books either, because they aren't hard science. What works for someone at a particular time in a particular country doesn't necessarily apply to you.
You read to gain ideas and other people's perspectives and how your personal language of self-talk may be sabotaging your own efforts.
In the end, most self-help books focus on one thing: if something doesn't serve you, lose it and find something that does. Telling people to follow a series of x number of steps to achieve something can be overwhelming. Instead, great books are about taking the next step.
For example, time blocking is pointless if you don't have a clear vision of where you want to go. If your 'why' is strong enough, you'll subconsciously be on the lookout to seek and indentify all the necessary resource and support that you need to achieve your goals.
It worked for me. I aimed to have the World’s Best Compositing Program. And for a decade, every lesson and every shot I devised, was a step towards that goal.
Despite my monumental setbacks and blunders, I never hit rock bottom, thanks to the scaffolding and elevators I built along the way – a strategy I adopted from successful mentors.
Reading can open your mind to such strategies, propelling you towards your goals in unexpected ways.
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