Like the saying goes, reading is fundamental. But is also so much more. If you’re starting or growing your own business, or simply trying to gain an edge in your career, then you know there is much to be discovered in reading. Although articles are a good source to pick up valuable bits of information, you will find yourself having to pick up and read whole books to get more specific details. However, reading books is intimidating for a lot of people. They don’t feel they have enough time, or they can’t concentrate, or they can’t read fast enough, or recall what they read.
Now is the time stop such reasons for not reading and simply do it. The time saved will be incredible and the knowledge gained will take your further. No matter what your business is or what situation you are facing, someone else has been through it and most likely written a book about it. Learn from their experiences. Why make the same mistakes yourself and lose ground to your competition? Simply by investing a few hours of time reading a book, you’ll gain days or weeks against your competition and eventually move ahead of them. The information you’ll gain simply by reading is that valuable.
Just like many of us, I was a very poor reader several years ago. I was fortunate enough to discover a program called Reading Genius, located on the web at
http://www.readinggenius.com/, which was developed by reading expert Ed Strachar. Ed’s program was quite different from the other so-called
speed reading programs that I had tried before. I found it refreshing because it wasn’t a series of tasks and assignments that just added to the frustration. Rather, it was more of an internal and experiential reading program that taught me how to relax and read better while remembering more.
In order to develop a useful article, I consulted with Ed and asked him to give me some simple words of advice on reading better for business and for life in general. I think he came up with three invaluable steps to help us all read better. It takes some time to really adjust to his ideas, but they can start to pay dividends immediately and should help you in the long run. In Ed’s experience, he has discovered that in order to read better, we have to be in the right state. It's deceptively simple and can be summed up on three words. Clear, Focus and Preparation.
First of all, you must Clear your mind, which means getting yourself ready to absorb. This is the exact opposite of feeling blocked, like most of us are when we settle in to read. Ed’s example is of a straw. If it's clear, air or fluid can readily pass through into the mouth to be absorbed by the body. But if it's blocked, nothing passes through. Learning to clear your mind before you read can make a huge difference, allowing the information to pass through and be absorbed fully by your mind.
The second step is Focus. Focused means all your energy, mind and body, is aligned onto what you're reading. The opposite of focused is scattered. This is what most of us are in business - we're thinking of 5 or 10 other while we are reading.
The third step is Preparation: Preparing yourself for what you will read. Previewing the book, doing a few brain power exercises and expanding your imagination and curiosity about what’s in the book will greatly accelerate your ability to both read and comprehend the material quickly.nn nIn Ed’s experience, and he has trained some of the world’s faster readers, by learning to get in the right state first you will make a big leap in your ability to comprehend well, read quickly, really enjoy better what you read. Because you're clearer, focused and prepared.
Ed’s Reading Genius program has entire sections that help his students learn how to become clear, focused and prepared so it actually can take awhile to perfect it. But I can share how I first started getting better by using his techniques as I read volumes to help make The Pashmina Store, which can be found at
http://www.thepashminastore.com/, one of North America’s leading specialty online retailers of
cashmere and pashmina goods.
My routine before I read was stretching and listening to classic rock music from the 1970s for about 15 minutes. For some reason this helped me clear my mind, remain calm, and get myself focused and prepared for reading about business. Ed really advocates music and stretching in his program, but it is a little bit different from the rock music and basic stretches that I do. I’m not a psychologist, but I suspect that music from the 1970s takes me back to a time when I was much younger and didn’t really have a care in the world. Plus, as a child all of us are inquisitive and eager to discover more, so by relating to this point in my life I also found myself in a state of being eager to read and learn.
After years of using Ed’s ideas, I can actually get into the state by just sitting alone in the quiet for a few moments. By following Ed’s three basic steps, you will get better at reading and comprehending. It may take some time and practice to discover what routine gets you into the proper Calm, Focused and Prepared state of mind, but you will eventually find the right mix for you and be well on your way to being a better reader and a better businessperson.