Intentional Stress Challenge: Become a Reader
Progressive challenge series to develop the skill and enjoyment of reading.
Become a Reader
“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” -Jim Rohn
If you’re already a reader, feel free to gloat as you go through this post already knowing the beautiful benefits reading can provide. Maybe the elite challenge will be a way to level up!
If you’re not a reader, I sincerely challenge you to begin adding this practice into your daily self-care.
Reading activates the brain in ways watching a screen cannot. Imagination is required for readers as they simultaneously process the words on a page visually or the sounds auditorily for audiobooks.
Reading requires active engagement while watching is often more passive.
Reading also encourages self-learning. Contemplating, rationalizing, and reframing support understanding as one reads.
Self-paced education.
Developing the skill of reading causes neural plasticity for comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, knowledge acquisition, and creativity.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
-Dr. Seuss
Consumption facilitates creation.
If you’re a writer, reading is sustenance. A form of cross-training to enhance performance. Continuous education to stay current, informed, aware, and engaged.
Reading is one of the healthiest forms of consumption.
It’s impossible to over-indulge.
Books connect us with the greatest minds and stories throughout known history whenever you’re willing to explore. I’ve gained just as much, if not more, knowledge from reading as I have from people.
Reading is nutrition for the mind.
Basic Challenge: Read anything you want ten minutes a day for one week.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
-Richard Steele
Set the foundation for the worthwhile habit of reading.
What time of day works best for you? Part of your morning routine? Lunch break? Shortly before bed? Doesn’t matter.
There is no wrong time to read.
Whatever works for you and your priorities is the ideal.
Substack makes this challenge incredibly easy!
There are so many fantastic writers and accounts on Substack with endless information. One of my favorite aspects of this platform is that you can find someone who is passionate about a given subject that consolidates a lot of valuable knowledge from a specific domain into one account. In a world full of data and opinions, Substack has become a filter for potentially useful information.
Embrace the challenge.
Improve a routine.
Begin to receive the benefits of reading regularly.
Advanced Challenge: Read five books.
“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” -Oscar Wilde
No time period for this challenge.
Set the intention and be patient with yourself.
Pick books you’re interested in or that cover a topic you’re passionate about.
No need to be concerned with doing anything other than enjoying a few books of your choosing.
If you find yourself not enjoying one after a few chapters, put it down and find a new one.
The more you do anything, the better you get and the more beneficial the act becomes.
Insights, reflections, and other powerful moments often come from books (and life) when you least expect it.
Elite Challenge: Read 50 books in a year.
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
-Harry S. Truman
Initial quantity optimizes eventual quality.
Reading 50 books or more in a year reportedly puts you in the top 1% of readers from a quantity perspective.
Quantity doesn’t indicate quality but it’s a great start.
When I completed this challenge a few years ago, I learned a lot about myself, the books I most enjoy, and what resonates with me.
Could I tell you all of the 50 books I read? Definitely not.
Did that challenge help me discover some gems and refine my method for selecting, starting, and deciding whether or not I enjoy or benefit from a certain book? Absolutely.
In one year, anyone can become a proficient reader with intention, focus, and discipline.
Summary
Reading is one of the most beneficial habits one can add to a routine.
Once you become a skilled reader, there may be no better return on investment of your time for knowledge acquisition.
The knowledge gained from reading can then be applied through action to generate wisdom.
Use this challenge series to develop the skill that is reading.
Read, reflect, improve.
Expand your life through the practice of reading.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
-George R.R. Martin
As someone who has worked in a bookstore and a library and reads more than 60 books a year, I 100% approve this message!
"Books are a uniquely portable magic." – Stephen King
I’ve done the read-50 challenge before; this year, it’s down to 30, because I’m reading a lot of nonfiction and biographies that tend to be longer. However, if it spills into 50 anyway, that’d be pretty cool! Great post.