What have you been reading lately?

Or should I ask when was the last time you read a book?

I hope it is not the latter 🙂

In a social gathering, you can usually tell who the frequent readers are. Wide readers think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of others because of their great knowledge base.

Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.

Reading is primarily a mental activity. After all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the story you are reading. You use you mind to imagine the joys and pains of the main character as the story unfolds or you bring into play the different arguments and ideas brought to you by the author in the self-help book you are holding or the blog you are reading.

Reading helps you develop an extensive vocabulary. The reader may not know exactly what every single word means, but he will have a good general idea.

Reading makes you alert and curious about new words and information. Some readers develop “the dictionary habit”. Every time they come across a strange word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary. This is a great way not only to improve your mother tongue but also to learn a foreign language.

Likewise, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of materials. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually doing.

Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely grasping the writer’s idea is not enough. You must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.

Let me share four basic rules for effective reading and better comprehension:

1)   Try to read more and more. Remember, practice makes perfect. Practicing in the correct way makes even more perfect.

2)   Develop the habit of reading for main ideas. Look for the subject and predicate. Do not waste time on details or little words.

3)   Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. Do not let your attention wander somewhere else. Good readers read with understanding.

4)   Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try purposely to read faster. Give yourself a time limit on specific material that you read. Especially on this tip practice makes perfect 🙂

Reading is a stimulating mental activity. It expands your reality and capability. You have so much to gain in discovering the joys of reading. Go ahead; grab a book right now!

I recommend the To BE book. Have you read it yet? Check it out at www.thetobebook.com