What I'm Reading, Re-Reading & My Mindset & Habits Behind The Practice

books mindset Feb 23, 2022
What I'm Reading, Re-Reading & My Mindset & Habits Behind The Practice
*I also have attached a screenshot of my reading list & progress for the first quarter of 2022

Here are a few notes on my reading practice that might be of value to some while looking through this update/spreadsheet (see attached graphic/screenshot below):
  1. I am always much more focused on and excited about the re-reads than I am about diving into anything new... My goal is always to find the books that truly IMPACT me, and then the goal is to go back to it over and over again to see what else I can get out of it and what else I can APPLY both personally and professionally (I'm ALL about the understanding and application - That is WHY I read).
  2. I am aware that I will need to read certain books that might be considered industry standards, but my real focus for reading is pretty consistently going to revolve around peace, contentment, joy, gratitude and compassion... Those are the areas that I get the most out of and that seem to have the greatest impact on both my personal and professional life.
  3. You will most likely see at least 50% of these books on my reading list each quarter for all of 2022. Again, I'm just really into the re-reads! 
  4. I own both the physical and audio books for almost every book that I re-read on a regular basis... and 90% of my re-reads are done while using both at the same time. Meaning I am reading along, taking notes, highlighting, underlining and HEARTING all over my books while someone is reading it to me. Sometimes, not a lot, but sometimes I will just use the audio book like I would a podcast, and just have it playing while I'm working out, walking, driving, relaxing by the fire... But most of the time I'm using the audio books while I'm reading the actual physical book. This way of reading is huge for me when it comes to truly staying engaged in what I'm reading. My mind is more likely to wander when I am just reading the physical book by itself.
  5. Some have asked me how I get so many books read... Sometimes I get some done in the morning before anyone wakes up. Sometimes Dina and I will read instead of turning on the TV. Many of the books will only take 2.5-4 hours to read, and there are quite a few people who watch at least that much TV every week (some, every night).
  6. Sometimes I'll just commit to read one chapter between calls and use this to help me to be more purposeful in my mindset and awareness as I go into my next call.
  7. One practice I LOVE is picking a chapter, and then committing to reading that same chapter 3 times in a day. I get so much more out of a chapter when I do, and the repetition is just soooo good for me. And considering that most chapters only range from 5 to 30 minutes long I consider that a VERY reasonable and achievable goal. That's less than a 15-90 minute commitment/goal for the day.
  8. The last suggestion I'll make in this post is that I've spent years practicing the following... I'll listen to and audio book for maybe 5-10 minutes of an audio book while driving, and then turning it off and committing to trying to share the concepts I just heard with my "imaginary passenger" (typically I imagine that my 23 year old son is sitting in the seat next to me for this exercise). And I ask my self how I would share or verbalize the concepts I just heard if he were here with me now. And I'm not allowed to "ramble". I am only allowed the same amount of time to convey my thoughts as the time I had spent listening to the point being made.

    I hope something here is helpful or insightful, and inspires someone to dive a little deeper into the WHY, hows & and whats of their reading practice.

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