Read …em and Live …em
How many books have your read that challenged, inspired and motivated you? Probably quite a few if you consider the sales of self-help and spiritual books in bookstores today. These books are bought with the best intentions and focused interest and often totally read, but then what happens? Often little or nothing. We want to make the changes, incorporate the ideas and fulfill our intentions for reading the book in the first place, then life intervenes and we maintain the status quo or return to the same patterns that moved us to read the book in the first place.Having experienced this myself more times than I can remember and coaching many others with similar experiences, I have learned there are some things that have to happen for us to not only get what these books are sharing but integrate these ideas and strategies into our lives. I call this “reading to living” and it is the power that these great books really hold for readers. Here are some tips for your personal “reading to living” success.1) Take your time in reading the book so that you can underline, comment, or mark important parts that really resonate with you.2) Have a system for setting up the ideas and strategies for application. I personally use a three star system where I mark ideas for their importance and usefulness. Then when I return to the book, these stars tell me where the important parts are that appealed to me in the first place. By labeling many of them, I can quickly determine which ones will help me with my current concern.3) If this sounds like studying the book, it is. Reading a self-help or spiritual book is nice but to live it, you are going to actively engage it. Choose a section or chapter or even a major idea and reflect on its application in your life. How could you use it to make a change or choice, or take an action? If you want to consider it more, write it in a journal or notebook and make comments on the page itself. Return to it again and reflect and consider it again.4) When a situation is a negative or disappointing experience, return to the book and thumb through it to a part that speaks to you ( it will) and reread it. That means that you need to keep the book near by or even carry it with you. I always have books around me for just this reason and that includes carrying them with me if there is any chance I will be doing some waiting.5) Finally, discuss the book, its concepts and strategies with others. This helps you consider them at a deeper level. In your sharing you will gain a better understanding and a possible deeper application. Discussing the book with someone who knows the book well and how to apply is even better.”Reading to Living” has become my favorite type of coaching where I collaborate with clients to apply some of the best books available that are true “life-changers.”There are some amazing books available today and new ones appear regularly. If you have some favorites that you have wanted to apply, follow the steps above and get back to them. If you want a partner than can speed up the process for you and especially the ease of application, contact me. I would love to coach you through them to help you make the profound impact they have made for me and many of my clients.Are you ready to stop collecting a great library and have a library that is rich and useful in your life? My library is and I hope these tips will get you started in changing your library to a “reading to living one” too.P.S. Some of my favorites and the ones I love to coach include: The Four Agreements including the new Fifth Agreement, The Power of Now, A New Earth, Loving What Is, The Book of Secrets, The Power of Intention, and others. Do you have one that you want us to go through together?