Why I Stopped Reading for a While
When I started reading, I had great intentions: I wanted to be the best in my profession. I wanted to learn at all cost and find a place with the pro. Unknown to me I was lost in my desire to gain mastery that I didn’t realize it had to start from somewhere. I kept reading ferociously only to discover I’ve been trapped in a cycle.
Here is Where It Began
- I discovered my passion and decided to pursue it
- I saw experts in the same line with me, who were successful, so I decided to follow them.
- I knew there was a formal education to train me but I discarded the option because of the pecuniary and long term commitment involved. (Besides I had spent five years in school studying a course I wasn’t interested in).
The Influence of the Information Age
Thanks to the technology developed in the digital revolution, I have access to a vast amount of information; so vast that I cannot consume on my own. I had access to the technology, so there was nothing to hinder my access to the information.
D.I.Ys (Do-It-Yourself) survives on the available information. Almost all professions can be self-developed (to an extent) with the information just at our fingertips. This is the path I chose to follow.
Success stories of those who took advantage of this privilege keep popping on my screen and flying through my newsfeed. It’s actually a strong motivation behind my pursuit.
Anytime I hear stories about how certain persons became successful in their profession without a formal education, just self-development, it gives me the fortitude to pursue my dream.
Why Did I Read?
- I read because of the stories I heard about successful people. I didn’t just want to be told how they made it, I wanted to follow their paths and make it as well. I read about them because they inspire me; they motivate me, and they fuel my passion.
- I read because there is knowledge in reading. I want to hone my crafts. I want to develop my mind. I want to configure my brain to think like a pro.
- I read because I wanted to learn. I have dabbled into a strange world I had little idea of. I wanted to learn the language, the habits, the attributes, and the system of operation.
The Danger of Reading
Regardless of what my intention was for reading, I knew it could never be a bad idea to read. Besides “readers are leaders” as they say, so I clung to it. However, I was ignorant of the trap set in the cycle of reading as I transited in my pursuit of mastery.
The more I read, the more I discovered my inadequacies; the more I was challenged to read further. I got so thrilled while reading success stories that I lost track of my success journey.
Reading could be so convincing at the same time confusing. There were too many options available to me as a result of reading wide and wild. The choice of where to start from became a problem.
So, rather than starting somewhere, I kept reading, hoping that somehow, someday, I’d reach the end of the tunnel where the light will beam bright enough for me to see the path to thread. Unfortunately, I never reached that end.
Alas! I was moving in a cycle but ignorant of it. I kept reading, adding knowledge, but never made progress. So, how did I escape the trap of reading in a cycle? How did I make progress with my reading?
Here’s the Right Thing to Do
It is fair enough to start reading with the desire to be informed, however, if you want to develop yourself, you must be intentional with the information you digest. That was my mistake, I wanted to learn, but I wasn’t prepared to learn. I was taking the information at my disposal for granted.
Knowledge indeed is power, but its power can only be effective when the knowledge gained through information is practically applied. I didn’t experience the power in knowledge until I consciously practiced the things I learned from the information I consumed.
That was the turning point for me. So each time I clicked an article to read or opened a book to read, I usually ask myself these questions:
- Why did I read this?
- What have I gained reading this?
- What instructions am I to follow?
- What habits is here to imbibe?
- What rules are to be adhered to?
- What are the action points?
- Where do I go from here?
If you can sincerely answer these questions and act on them, your progress is certain. For mastery is not attained by much reading, but much practice. While it is good to read, it is better to act on what you read.
So I stopped reading for a while and I took the time to digest the information that had already filled my brain. I started acting deliberately on each of them as I have learned, and lo, I escaped the trap of the reading cycle.
So what are you going to do now after reading this? Stop reading, and start acting!
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Stop reading and go do something!
