This Simple Habit Has The Power To Exponentially Transform Your Identity

Aram Rasa Taghavi
Sep 7, 2018 · 7 min read

I caught myself going back to the same few books and I noticed something — the person I was — reading the book before, was a new person reading the book the next time around.

I realized:

The repetition of reading a book gives you the stillness to notice — notice that you’re becoming a new person each time you’re re-reading the text.

I’m not talking about re-reading it once, twice or even five times to learn more. I’m talking about re-reading daily, as a habit, thereby making the book a part of your day to day existence — who you are.

What you’ll find is every time you re-read the same book or chapter or article, you’re reading it better than before — upgraded based on the previous reading — with new learning that makes you look deeper and deeper.

Eventually it gets exponentially deeper as each read goes by.

You’re mastery of the subject begins to increase at faster and faster rates.

This occurs as you imagine scenarios or applicable situations you hadn’t considered before — and make progress in yourself — thereby reading the same thing but as a more evolved person.

Your mastery of that particular book’s knowledge grows just like an exponential growth curve — little bit at the beginning to learn what the book is about, then learning more and more as you read and absorb.

And one day, bam. You reach that final 20% of the growth curve that gives you 80% of the growth.

Be Who You Want To Become With High Standards

“Best in the world” is an expression that get’s tossed around so I’ll clarify it here to prove to you just how much I actually mean “best in the world”.

In the context of work, it may mean “best in your field” or “best in class” or “best in your segment”.

Most importantly, best in the world is an expectation, a state of mind and purpose you have for you and your work — that believes in it’s ability and set’s goals, prepares and plans from the outset to become the best in a particular field or class.

For example, Benjamin Hardy, now Medium’s #1 writer, began writing in 2015 by taking a blogging course — but it was because he mastered the principles to become the best at what he does from day one, that allowed him to become the fastest growing writer of all time.

Yes there’s some subjectivity to this and you can harp on measurement all you want — but in terms of growth rate and writing, there isn’t anyone growing the way he is and reached the top of a field the way he did.

It’s the striving to be the best that got him there.

Had Ben began the way most of us do which is something a long the lines of “Ok I’m only at day one and it will likely take me years to become a master at this much less reach the top of my field so let me set my expectations accordingly)”.

That thought process is unconscious and it’s belief systems self-fulfills itself.

So Ben lived by the principle “be, do, have” from day one.

He first practiced, planned and prepared as though he was the best in the world (or industry), then he did the work in that state with that vision, and addressed the market place with that framework.

Three years later, he actually is best in the world at what he does.

He’s become the #1 writer on Medium.com, out of millions of users. Received a book deal from a blue chip publishing house and built a list of 300,000 loyal email subscribers.

He prayed and meditated the same way a visionary like Martin Luther King Jr. does — every day, with intention, for long periods of time.

He gave his life a meaning, had a massively strong “why” and worked hard shaping his environment while he got his PHD.

He even handed his book in person to Tony Robbins — the legend of his field — all this in a span of two and a half years.

I’m not sure how much you know about getting subscribers and book deals — but what he pulled off in less than three years is absolutely exceptional.

To do that in that span of time is considered ridiculous by most, yet Ben did this with ease because he mastered the principles and it created the voracious enthusiasm required to make it happen with ease.

What’s scary about this is it can actually happen for many if you address the market with the right framework, and get started on the right foot — so you can.

If you’re thinking this was a fluke or he got lucky or he’s exceptionally talented or anything else — write any questions in the comments for a chat — this topic is near and dear to my heart.

I know this first hand because he coached me for a year and informally since as we’ve become brothers.

It’s actually not a crowded place when you do the right work correctly.

Best In The World Make Decisions Based On Principle

“We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from those actions are controlled by principles.” — Dr. Darren Hardy

Principles decide the outcomes of your life, nothing else.

When you master the principles of a profound book that resonates deeply, you embody those principles and live them in your decisions and actions.

For example, the book Letting Go has transcended my monsterous fear of not being good enough and fear of ego based on it’s principles of simply letting go of fear and understanding how emotions work, why and how ego exists and how fear works.

These were big problems for me and crept into my day to day life. It wasn’t until I read that book every single day for two years until I overcame those problems.

That may sound like a long time but it really isn’t. Imagine two of your biggest problems overcome by simply adding a small daily habit to your life that’s expansive and fun.

Your Why To Read Must Be You

Again, your why must be you.

Don’t focus on the knowledge, focus on you.

Though we read to acquire knowledge or entertain ourselves, the reason you read must also read is your personal growth to maximize your potential that’s unlimited. This is where you tap your genius.

This is important because most people don’t realize their potential is unlimited, and that they can only go so far.

You have the capacity to go 1000x farther than you think you do, but you need to work on yourself to realize your potential is unlimited, and strive to transcend it.

It’s not something you “try to make time for” — it’s something you prioritize before everything else.

It’s not just knowledge, you are the knowledge and the knowledge is you.

You’re at one with it.

You’re essentially combining prayer and knowledge — the quality of a meaningful intention, fused with the words of an author, sage or poet — which is powerful.


How You Can Become Who You Want With This One Daily Habit

Take the core 1 or 2 books that teach you your core principles and only read those for a particular period of time — or at least read a chapter or two a day.

Go far and deep with your knowledge, not wide with many pieces of material.

Every single time you re-read these books that resonate deeply, or re-learn something, you will read that book as a new you.

The best in a particular field know that deep work and deep learning are how we get ahead — and they re-read their core books over and over again.

I’m not saying to not stray outside of them ever — but make these particular texts habit. Do it daily so it becomes an automatic part of who you are and eventually they will.

I can now feel Dr. David Hawkins within me. I’ve read his book every day for the last two years. That may sound crazy or exceptionally hard but it really isn’t.

Not mentioning there’s a ton of material and I repeatedly learn something brand new every time I read it.

In Closing — The Most Important Part

I have so much to do I’ll need to pray for 3 hours to get it all done — Martin Luther

Treat the daily reading as a ritual, meditation or prayer — and imagine yourself reading as the person you wish to become.

Don’t simply read it to get it over with. This is the big reason many fail at harnessing meditation while others accelerate with it.

This reading is your meditation or prayer.

Overtime, you’ll notice how far you’ve grown as you’ve mastered the principles of the author.

This is how I discovered my calling to write about overcoming fear, peak states and channeling ego and emotion. Because Hawkins is a pioneering master of it — and it’s like I’ve added him to me.

This is the gift of a book and what makes it a unique medium — many times you have a persons life work and thoughts of decades of experience brought together into one text which is extremely rich.

Imagine that, you can add the author’s life work to you with a small daily habit. Not a bad deal for a 15–30 minute investment each day.

Commit to it. I promise it’s worth it and you’ll become the person you want to become if you do.


Aram Rasa Taghavi

Written by

Articles on entrepreneurship and life from personal experiences (only). Former XIR @ Expa SF

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