I Love Book Club

Book club. Sounds boring, possibly nerdy, and certainly not a traditional get-together with friends.

And I love it.

For much of my life, the lofty ambition to avidly read was just out of reach, on a proverbial back burner. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoy learning new things. I truly find pleasure in reading; whether personal development, business specific or classic tales.

The problem was that different ideas and ambitions would compete; the prize being ‘time’, a scarce resource. Of course, my financial planning practice requires a large amount of quality attention. Enter an active lifestyle with family and friends, fitness, and fur-pets.

It’s not hard to imagine the difficult task to scrape 30 minutes here and 60 minutes there, of true quiet time.

Welcome to the secret power of book club.

Time opens. I find it amazing how “accountability to others” can influence our behaviors – we don’t want to be seen as someone inconsistent with our commitments.

Imagine a steadfast and energetic group, holding each accountable to one book per month. Imagine crushing the content of each book in a two-hour session, explaining what you liked and disliked, and what you may incorporate into your personal and business life.

This is potent. It’s not until we teach the subject we have studied, that we truly understand it’s content. It is not until we have experiences with this knowledge that we truly gain wisdom.

Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom.

Just over 6 years ago, my good friend Hyder Hassan MSc. CFP CIM ICD.D and I sat over coffee with this question in mind; “How do we grow and learn, and make ourselves accountable to the process”?

From this, our book club was born. From the dedication of our awesome friends that comprise our group, it persists. The conversations are respectful and engaging. Through the eyes of others, we get new ideas and insights from what we read on our own.

We call our book club “Advisor Circle”. We are a mix of business owners, educators, executives, and professionals across broad industries. We all attribute much of our own growth and success to the last 6 years of learning together.

They say when you hear something you'll forget much of it, when you read something, you'll remember most of it, and when you teach something, you'll truly understand it. Book club allows us to teach what we've read, and be confident in the new wisdom earned.

Every night we have a routine. My little girls curl up beside me to read a book. We do our best to act and animate; to find the magic within immersive tales of fiction and fantasy. Perhaps they will learn to keep the joy of reading top of mind!

If you have the ambition to read more books, then perhaps starting your own book club is your next perfect step? If you have questions on how to start, I’d be happy to share ideas.