Reading books and not implementing them is as good as not reading!

In this part#2 of the blog, you will get actionable insights on reading, WE have collected a few excerpts from our recent conversation on TGV episode #302 with?Amrut Deshmukh ?who is known famously as?Booklet guy – and he is on a mission to make India read

Points covered in this edition:

·?????Which “type” of books to read(Physical vs. eBook vs Audio)?

·?????How to read without guilt?

·?????Reading and implementing the learning.

·?????Three must-read books for everyone.

? Physical books vs eBooks vs Audio books - which one is for whom?

Let us define what is a book. A book is not only the words printed in black ink on white papers which are sandwiched between card sheets but a medium to transfer thoughts, ideas, experiences, and experiments of great authors in our minds. So, here message matters more than the medium. One can watch videos, listen to audiobooks, speeches, interviews, and podcasts, and read e-books along with reading printed books. For example, watching Steve Jobs’s interviews is like reading his auto-biography book.

? Many people buy a lot of books but end up reading few of them or none - how to break this jinx?

Such people are not book readers but book collectors. A book on the bookshelf is dead, it is the biggest insult to the author & the book. Please read the book and pass it on to your friend or family. Amrut’s book “7 habits of highly effective readers” mentions the answer to the question of how to become a reader. Habit #1 is “Don’t take reading TOO seriously.” For example, people who are addicted to reading newspapers as they read the short articles feel content or a sense of completion. They don’t read the whole newspaper and never feel guilty or complain that they did not finish reading the newspaper.

Apply the same while reading the book, and remove the guilt when you feel that you are reading a new book without finishing the earlier one. Sometimes it is also the responsibility of the author to keep the reader engaged. You are not a bad reader, it’s okay to keep a book half-read. There is no concept of a good reader or bad reader, the concept is reader or non-reader. Replace reading books with reading pages. Think the book which you did not read completely made you realize which book you should read. The key message is “don’t feel guilty about not completing a book, but don’t quit reading.”

? Reading and not implementing is as good as not reading:

This is Amrut’s new book with the sub-title “Reading and not implementing is not reading”.

Learning & doing or reading & implementing are not two different phases, both should happen simultaneously, and both should merge completely then the result will be fantastic. We cannot say that we are learning a musical instrument first and then we will learn to play. This was the same problem in our education system too, first learn and then apply in the real world.

For example, while teaching trigonometry in school if teachers would have told us that every bridge or roof of construction is a result of trigonometric calculation then it would have been very easily understandable. Hence, learning while doing should become intrinsic.

There are two ways of implementation:

1.??????The author tells clear actionable steps.

2.??????Mindset-shifting ideas (invisible implementation): the author brings in a change in the mindset of the reader.

Amrut read the book “Quiet” by Susan Cain who said, “The quality of an idea and the ability to express the idea are two different things.” This book made Amrut change his mindset or perception about Introvert People. He completely changed his approach towards introverted people.

? Out of 1900 books he read so far…3 must-read books for everyone.

Amrut has read nearly 1900 books and his all-time favourite three books:

1.??????Start With Why - Simon Sinek (author & famous TED talk speaker). Amrut gives credit to this author for his 80% success, as he made him realize the significance of “WHY”. People remember you majorly for “Why do you do?” and less for “What do you do?”

2.??????The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: one key takeaway is “Wealth is income not spent”. There is a difference between being rich & wealthy. Most people are rich & but not wealthy. Wealth is hidden in portfolios, savings, real estate, and investments.

3.??????Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson: A tiny book but with a very powerful message on Change presents an amazing way to deal with change in work and life, how to anticipate, adapt to, and enjoy change and be ready to change quickly whenever you need to.

Amrut’s mission is based on a strong belief, which is if “I am not reading, I am not changing, if I am not changing then I am not growing.” Hence, he embarks on making the youth of India read. His burning desire is to cultivate the habit of reading among the youth of INDIA.

At TGV, we make every attempt to bring in the best of content from speakers around the world, however, we would like to understand from you the best ways to make yourself happy.

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And also, please feel free to share with us the best practices in reading, implementing what one reads, and any must-read books from your list.

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Tune in now, if you haven't.

Find the Link(s) to Episode #tgv302 in the comments

?Connect with #TGV founder and host Naveen Samala: https://www.dhirubhai.net/mwlite/in/naveensamala

Visit his website: https://www.naveensamala.com