Is Reading The Real Secret To Success?

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“When intelligent people read, they ask themselves a simple question: What do I plan to do with this information?”

— RYAN HOLIDAY

Books alone are not enough. They can be a nice escape, fascinate us, and pass a lazy afternoon. Yet, for books to truly be impactful, there must be application within our lives.

Applying what you read is actually simpler than most people think. Just do what authors say you should do. It’s really that easy. Too many people question what they should do, stay on the sideline, and never get in the arena. Why? Because they won’t take advice from those who came before them.

If you are reading the right books, the authors have reached a level where you want to be, why not do what they say? Here are some examples from my life.

Getting Things Done by David Allen is a classic on time management and his methodology is used by everyone from individuals to fortune 500 companies. One of Allen’s recommendations is to get everything out of your head, i.e. write out everything you need and want to accomplish. Writing out all of your projects, responsibilities, and desires frees up mental capacity to focus on one thing at a time. I have taken his advice and now have to-do lists online. When someone asks me for something I immediately set a reminder on my phone as I don’t want to waste mental space on a reminder when I have technology which will do it for me.

Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday is, in my opinion, the best book on modern marketing out there, period. It replaced Ogilvy on Advertising which was the previous top book on marketing. In one of the chapters, Holiday gives a script for posting to social media to gain clients and increase sales. He even tells the reader to copy it, alter the content, and post it online. So that’s what I did . . . and landed multiple clients for my marketing business.

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy details the power of doing the right things over and over. Eventually, that discipline leads to success. Hardy explains that every day he checks his calendar to see if his schedule aligns with his overall goals. If not, he changes his appointments, if it is aligned, he keeps moving forward. I took this advice to heart and every Sunday I spend 15-30 minutes looking at my calendar for the next week, month, and three months. I carefully examine my calendar to make sure I am on track to meet my goals.

Those are just a few examples, I could go on, yet the point should be clear by now. I practice what I read. You should as well. Here are two pieces of advice to get started on applying knowledge from books to your life.

1. Filter what you read. Here is what I mean. I speak with many people who have all these ideas because they read something. That’s great, but at the same time, everything needs to be filtered through your values, goals, and vision of success. Some insights from authors will not fit your life, don’t worry about those. Take what works for you and put aside what doesn’t.
2. Piggybacking on the last point, don’t read too much. Hold up, aren’t we the guys who encourage you to read!? Yes, but you can reach a point where you are reading just to read and authors start to sound like they contradict each other. Find authors and books which resonate with your soul. You know those books, you read them and feel like your life had changed forever. Read that book again and again and again. There are a handful of books I read 3-5 times a year! Why, because they impact my life every time I read them and learn something new.

There you have it. You should have deliberate intention to use the insights from what you read. Think of how you can take what you read and immediately apply it to your daily routine. Use critical judgment and filter what you read. Also, don’t read to the point you are just checking off another book. It’s perfectly fine to read the same book multiple times.

“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.”

— C.S. LEWIS

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