There are hundreds of reasons why you should read every day, but in this post, you will learn 10 ways in which reading is beneficial.

 

I personally make it a point to read at least 15-30 minutes every day, sometimes more if my schedule allows it. I also always start my day with one article I usually pick up on LinkedIn or Twitter. The point here is to make it a habit and also not to limit yourself to just books.

Before we get into the list I want you to imagine this:

You’re sitting in your chair at your office and time is coming down to the last part of the day. You look up past the top of your book at your coworkers all playing games on their phones.

A few of them might be reading something but most of them are just messing around, chatting with other coworkers (in an uncontrollably loud manner) or whatsapping with their girlfriend.

 

You’re most likely familiar with this situation, right?

It makes you wonder what kinds of things these people do at home during their downtime. Do any of them read books or at least an article on their phone for a minimum of at least 10 minutes daily? Weekly? Monthly? Not at all?

 

Maybe some of you have experienced this situation before and if you haven’t, next time you’re at the office, coffee shop, bus/train or any other place that people usually read take a look around and count how many people are reading (It’s hard to tell with phones and tablets).

 

These questions have been going through my mind lately which has prompted me to write this very useful post about the top10 reasons why you should read more this year.

 

The list is in no particular order of importance because truthfully all these points are important for you to make part of your daily habit.

Reasons why you should read more #1: Reading helps you gain more knowledge (even if it’s a fictional novel).

Reading books every day can really make a difference in your life emotionally and even physically by helping you to relieve stress and feel better about yourself. 

 

If you’re struggling with an illness or stress there are books out there that can help with that. There’s a book for any type of topic you can possibly think of. We all have access to a plethora of knowledge so why not take advantage of it? 

 

You might think something like ‘Oh well if it’s not a nonfiction, business or self-help book then I can’t learn anything from it.’ that’s when I would turn to you and say ‘That’s absolutely not true since one of the first books that really got me going on a knowledge shopping spree was actually a fantasy book called Kushiel’s Dart by Jacquelin Carey.

 

The book taught me that ‘All knowledge is worth having.’ That’s the quote directly from the book and you’d be amazed how much of a profound effect it has had on my life. Every time I read, listen or watch something I think about that quote. Powerful.

 

Therefore, you see that even a fictional novel has a great deal of knowledge to offer you. It’s obvious that nonfiction, business, and self-help books are filled with a different kind of knowledge that might be of more use than a story about goblins but a lot of people don’t realize that fictional novels can relate knowledge in the form of a story, and sometimes stories are the best way to get your point across since we all can connect with the character or plot in some way.

 

Take The Alchemist for example. That’s a complete work of fiction yet many entrepreneurs flock to that book for inspiration. It’s packed full of wisdom.

 

That’s what makes reading books every day great. It’s the fact that we have an emotional connection with whatever is being written. We may not be able to feel that emotional connection all the time, of course, depending on the book, but that is what we would hope when we pick up a book.

Reasons why you should read more #2: Reading allows you to learn a wider range of complex vocabulary.

I’ve never been that good at using complex vocabulary, but since reading more, I’ve got much better at it. The important thing for all of us is we should at least put in the effort to use more complex words in both our written and spoken language. Isn’t that important to everyone? I would hope so.

 

The words we use to communicate with others reflects on our credibility. I’m not saying you should use jargon all the time, or words not everyone would understand. Test the waters when you’re listening to other people speak. Listen to the type of vocabulary they’re using, then adapt your own language to fit theirs.

 

That’s where learning new vocabulary from books comes in handy for when upgrading your vocabulary. While you’re reading a book make sure to have a pen or highlighter to take notes. Get that thing out and start marking up those books when you come across a new word.

 

This technique won’t only improve your vocabulary, but also your memory and it’ll make it easier for you to go back to look at your notes months or years down the line.

 

Reading books every day, will, without doubt, improve your vocabulary which in turn will increase your credibility when talking with people.

Reasons why you should read more #3: Reading increases your imagination.

The more you read whether it’s science fiction or business your mind will constantly grow and create new pathways when it comes to imagination. 

Not to forget to mention the fact that when you read you can picture what it is being said in your mind’s eye. That’s the awesome thing about reading books every day is the fact that we can go into our own minds which brings us to whole knew worlds. You just don’t get that when it comes to other types of entertainment like movies.

 

As I was looking for some research on this topic I came across a short informative read on The Guardian, you should take a quick look.

Reasons why you should read more #4: Reading is a big stress reliever.

Sometimes you just need to get your mind off things. Things might be bothering you at home or at work and sitting down with a book sounds like the best thing you could do for yourself.

That’s definitely what I do when I feel stressed or maybe I don’t want to think about anything else, or I am in a learning mood. Reading books every day helps me to stay focused which in turn drastically decreases stress.

There are many reasons why you should read more books every day and relieving stress is a big one. It’s all part of building a good habit that will make you feel better about yourself.

Reasons why you should read more #5: Reading gives you tools to live a better life.

Books give you tools to make your life better. The strongest positive impact of reading is when you pick up a book that is meant to help you with something in your own life. If you’re not much into reading now, I highly recommend you start because you’d be amazed at how much of a difference reading the right book will make in your life.

 

You shouldn’t forget that reading novels can give you insight on how to solve problems in your own life as well. So just because the content in the book hasn’t happened in real life doesn’t mean that you can’t make it real in your own.

Reasons why you should read more #6: Reading is fun.

Actually, this is the best reason ever to read books everyday! This is probably the top reason for those of you that do read, and no doubt it really is a good one.

Why else would we read if it weren’t fun? You hit two birds with one stone by having fun and gaining knowledge. No other explanation needed. 

Reasons why you should read more #7: Reading is better than watching movies.

Please don’t get me wrong about books or movies, both are great, but I get a greater satisfaction from reading. It has a much higher value in my opinion.

I guess both have their own qualities but the reason why books are better is because you can take the necessary time you need to absorb the material

Depending on how fast you read and how long the book is it might take you 3 days to finish or a whole month. It really doesn’t matter though how long it takes as long as you can be immersed in the book with your own imagination creating the images in your head or soak in the topic you’re learning about. It’s beautiful!

Whereas movies are just shoved in your face and most of the time you don’t have time to think about the previous scene before the next one comes and so on. The length and details of books cannot be squeezed into even a 2 and a half hour movie. Therefore, movies can’t compare to the power a book has.

Reasons why you should read more #8: Reading inspires you to do more with your life.

This is by far a very important point to consider. Reading does inspire your mind to comprehend more, to think differently, to get other people’s point of view and so many more powerful points

You have probably already been inspired by books and are taking action to live a better life. Otherwise, why else would you be reading this?

 

Take for example myself:

At first, it was my wife that encouraged me to pick up some business books to help create some ideas for building a business. I was a bit skeptical at first. I thought, ‘What could a book do to help me succeed in life?’ Little did I know at that time in 2015 that I would be sitting at my laptop now writing to you about my personal journey.

The first non-fiction book that I decided to pick up was Second Chance by Robert Kiyosaki. I picked it up because I had heard many great things about Robert Kiyosaki and YES he is great. For those of you that don’t know his name, you might be more familiar with his most famous book Rich Dad Poor Dad. After reading this book I had a burning desire to look for more books and more knowledge about life and wealth.

Some of you might dread the thought of reading business or self-help books and some of you might love it. I’d say to those of that don’t like reading nonfiction books think again about the information you’re putting into your mind.

 

Think of it like this, if all you ate every day was candy and soda pop your teeth would start rotting and you’d be on the quick route to your deathbed no doubt.

 

Why do the same thing with your brain by putting only fictional works and movies into your mind? That would not be healthy. You need to start consuming valuable reading materials. Once you start, you’ll truly enjoy it.  

But I’m not here to force you to do anything. I just want to take the time to encourage you to read what makes you happy and don’t be too quick to shut a book down as soon as see the genre. Just because you don’t normally read that genre doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a go. I’d love to see you learn more.

 

Reasons why you should read more #9: Reading creates easily discussable topics.

The more you read, the more vocabulary you pick up, the more ideas go into your head that may not have been there before will make it much easier for you to think of something to talk about with a friend or acquaintance.

I am a type of person that likes to talk, but there are times that probably the majority of us can’t think of something to talk about. If you read books every day then you’ll have more to talk about.

You don’t even necessarily need to talk about the book itself (because there are people that really don’t like books) but the topic of the book would suffice. So next time you run out of ideas think back to a book that you read or are currently reading and just start talking about that. 

Reasons why you should read more #10: Reading can be done anywhere.

The last and one of the best reasons why you should read more books this year is the fact that reading can be practically done anywhere with a few exceptions whereas most other activities could be disturbing in certain situations where reading wouldn’t.

 

Think of all the places you could read. Some people like to read on the train, bus, plane or any type of transportation (especially me, I love reading on the plane.). 

 

Now relax and imagine you’re listening to the soothing sound of waves laying under a cool breezy umbrella with the soft white sand of a tropical beach surrounding your suntanned body and hands holding a book you’re completely immersed in at the moment. Isn’t that the perfect setting?

 

Or how about sitting with your legs curled up in your own private reading nook with your childhood stuffed animals and fluffy pillows cushioning you while you read your favorite book for the 5th time? Very nice indeed!

 

Point is that reading a book can be a very relaxing thing at anyplace you can sit down, lay or even stand. 

Reading is the most versatile activity that has existed for hundreds of years. No wonder printed books have lasted this long and will probably last much longer or at least until we all go green.

 

Related Post: 7 Habits You Can Use to Beat Your 2018 Reading Goal

 

To sum things up…

Life comes with many ups and downs as all of you know but if each and every one of you picks up some reading material every day you all might be able to solve at least some of your problems if not just to have some fun reading.

If you like this list apply it to your life. Make reading books part of your everyday life. It’s definitely made a difference in mine so why not take the same step as me?

 

Thanks for reading! I know everyone has got their own take on their own list. If you do, please comment on what your top reason for reading is below and then share it with your friends. Every person that has shared this article is helping spread the power of reading.

 

Always remember to share what you’ve learned with the people you care most about.

 

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