I was never a reader growing up. As a kid, it just didn’t make sense to me. 

“Why read, when you could play?” 

“Why read, when you could watch tv?” 

“Why read, it’s boring?”

All things I would say to myself. 

In 2016, I set out to read a book a week — Mission Accomplished (somehow).

It changed my life. It caused me to think critically, and to just stop and think, period. It caused me to imagine the possibilities, and gain the confidence to pursue the big goals and dreams. It caused me to be more humble (I hope) and be more confident, at the same time.

In 2017, I decided to double it. “How about 100 books for the year?” — I’m on pace (by the grace of God). 

Reading books and listening to audiobooks has been big for me on many fronts, including: increasing my desire to communicate better with my wife, making social interaction with friends and acquaintances richer, improving my ability to give advice and teach financial concepts effectively, and my time has been redeemed over and above watching a bunch of old Seinfeld episodes (hard to imagine, I know).

More important than the “how?” of reading more, is the action of starting.

Go ahead and start. It’ll be good, I promise.

If you want to hear more about the “how?” of reading more (yes, audiobooks count too), or just want to share with me how reading has shaped your life, I would love to hear from you at eric@aquilawealth.com.

Written by Eric Maldonado, CFP®, MBA, CKA®