Mastery: The Steps To Becoming A Passionate Reader

Issue No. 6 | February 6th, 2023 | Read Time: 4 Minutes

Happy Monday Everyone!

As an avid reader, I tend to get asked a variety of questions varying from:

• How do you find so much time to read?

• With how much you read, doesn't it eventually get boring?

• Were you always a reader?

But what I've realized is that these people who are asking about my reading process isn't asking so they can find out more about me, but because they want to understand the process to becoming an avid reader themselves. 

So when I'm asked these questions, I'm always happy to answer because it gives me the ability to help inspire others to get onto the path of reading. Whether it's for general pleasure or gaining knowledge, I think there's a book out there for everyone. 

I want to break down the three steps I believe is vital to becoming a passionate reader. If you're someone who doesn't know where to start or who can't find themselves sticking to it, then this is the best place to begin.

Love What You Read

When you're first starting out, I don't recommend jumping into any dense material. It'll only put a bad taste in your mouth and deter you from ever reading again. 

If you really want to become a passionate reader, start your journey off by reading what you

know

you'll love. 

Whether you're a fan of science-fiction, thrillers, drama, mystery, or crime, find out what you'd genuinely enjoy reading and stick to that.

By starting your journey off by reading what you love, you can eventually build enough passion to branch off into other niches such as non-fiction. So first start off by focusing on creating the love of reading, then expand your intake. 

As Naval RaviKant says:

"Read what you love until you love to read."

Make It A Habit

Personally, I don't treat reading as something I

want

to do, I treat it as something I

have

to do. After years of reading as a daily habit, it eventually became impossible to go a day without reading. 

"Miss a meal, but don't miss your reading." — Jim Rohn 

So if you want to become a dedicated reader, then make an effort to solidify it as a daily habit. There's multiple ways you can go about this, whether it's a chapter a day, a certain # of pages a day, or reading for 30 minutes a day, do what is comfortable for you.But make sure you start off slow. If you set unrealistic goals too soon, then you'll quickly fall out of it. So start small, and slowly work your way up over time to create a habit that eventually becomes impossible to drop. Apply What You LearnOnce you begin to get to the point to where you're reading informational books, if you don't start applying what you've learned, then your subconscious will eventually classify reading as a waste of time. That you could be doing something else more productive than something that won't lead to anything significant.To really enjoy reading for all it has to offer, apply what you learn into your daily life. Whether it's reading Atomic Habits and deciding to start habit stacking, or the book Why We Sleep and avoiding electronics 2 hours before falling asleep.There is something you can take away from every book. And once you begin to correlate that reading is actually changing your life for the better, you'll become that much more addicted to it.  Reading isn't meant to be a chore. It can seem like it initially because you're trading valuable time for something that doesn't seem to provide any instant gratification.But once you begin to realize that reading can provide a sense of escape, a sense of fulfillment and attainment, you'll begin to stop looking at it as a chore, and begin making it the first thing you do every day. And that is the power to becoming a passionate reader.

Until next time,

Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading -

I'm now reading

The Art and Business of Online Writing

by Nicolas Cole. A book on how to gather data as a writer and write publicly to better expand your reach.

• If you'd like to see my notes pertaining to any of the books I have previously read, then check out my websiteisaiahctaylor.comto view my entire library of notes and summaries.

Recent Article I'd Recommend

-

My 28 Best Pieces of Life Advice

by Ali Abdaal is a great read if you want to get some insight on one of the most famous productivity experts on the internet. 

Quote Of The Week

• "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Aristotle