I dropped out of college in 2017 because I was disatisfied with my learning experience. I was going to class just to get them over with, and everything I “learned” escaped me once the tests where over. The feelings of curiosity and enlightenment ā true growth ā didnāt come to me as a result of my college education. I felt empty, showing up to the same place everyday just to pretend that I was being educated. Iām not saying this is the case for everyone ā but it was for me. In the end, it feels like I made the right choice for myself. It made me redefine how I saw education.
The more I tried to understand my decision, it became clear to me that I didnāt need college to be educated. Knowledge is out there. All I have to do is read books that challenge me. So, I started to bring a book with me everywhere (train rides, the park, doctors appointments) in the hopes that in idle moments Iād ignore my phone, and reach for a book.
And over time, years actually, reading started to change me. Topics that were a bore in college became immersive and comprehensive once I reached for them on my own. Since then, I have read 275+ books, both fiction and nonfiction. The education I longed for in college, I got for free at the public library.
I think the American education system is setting us up for failure when it comes to reading. Throughout our entire childhoods itās promoted as a chore that we must complete to get good grades. So when most of us grow up, books still feel like a chore and we fail to find the reward between the covers.
I just want to show others that itās ok to not go the traditional way, and that education isnāt something we obtain only when we get a diploma. Iām sure youāve heard this before, but, like Mark Twain once said āDonāt let schooling interfere with your education.ā So, hereās why I read books.
Books are upgrades for your brain
Our brains are wired with the ability to change and adapt to new information. When introducing fresh ideas to the brain, you build new synaptic pathways that can strengthen overtime. But, these same neural pathways can also weaken if we halt the practice and development of the concepts they represent. The idea here is that you can rewire your brain, update it, if you will, by reading. You can reshape it, and in turn, change yourself.
In 2021, I read The Power of Habit by Charles DuHigg, and it taught me that the brain canāt distinguish between good habits and bad habits. So what you do everyday is a mix of these neurological cravings, regardless of the outcome. Learning how habits work and how they are formed in the brain has helped me build better habits in my day-to-day. This book updated my brain and helped build a foundation so that my other skills and habits can grow.
And this has a compounding effect. Books like this change how you perceive yourself in the world, and give you the tools to change over and over again. Although I still have bad habits Iām working through, this book gave me the framework to overcome myself, and if that isnāt an update to the noggin, i’m not sure what is.
Read books to become more creative
At its core, creativity is the relationship you create between seemingly unrelated concepts or things. It isnāt a talent ā it is a way of operating. Books arenāt limited by the reality of our world. They can cut through time, break the laws of physics, and unchain the boundaries of self-expression. They allow us to push outside of conventional problem-solving and immerse ourselves deeply in incredible ideas.
The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson really put this into perspective for me. There is so much imagination, thoughtfulness, and intentionality in this fictional universe. I felt that I grew to know the characters, to immerse myself in this world, even if it wasnāt real ā it was all made up in the authorās head ā but now those same characters now live in mine. The conflicts and the depth of the world broadened the scope of my imagination, showed me other minds that I could further construct and deconstruct on my own.
Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon also revolutionized my understanding of creativity. It reframed creativity as a tool rather than as a nebulous thing in my head that only flourishes in āsparksā of time. This is a book I would recommend to any creative that is in a rut. It delves into the realities of being creative and how you can strengthen your own creative process. It inspired me to write this article, because growing your creativity comes from the commitment to learn in front of others ā this is my version of that.
Books improve your media diet
Just like the saying āyou are what you eatā, I believe that you are the media you consume. And letās be honest here, some content is āhealthierā than others. This is not to say that there is no value in different media forms. But, hear me out.
Because of our ability to access large amounts of information on a daily basis, our attention is divided between all of the different mediums. We watch tv while scrolling through our phones while at the same time switching between apps just to find something to entertain ourselves with. When we fragment our attention this way, it makes it harder for us to concentrate on things for a long time. Deep work becomes impossible, specially when you can access entertainment platforms from your phone, your computer, and your television. From my experience, the negative psychological consequences of this pattern of content consumption heavily outweigh the positives.
I like to think about it like this. You can delve into a topic much more deeply in a 90,000 word book than you can in a 2 hour movie ā never mind a 1 minute tiktok. And the nature of having to sit down and put your eyeballs to the paper make it more difficult for you to fraction your attention ā it makes it easier to engage deeply and to carry that deep focus into other parts of your life, overall improving the health of your media pyramid. In retrospect, I recognize that āunhealthyā media hindered me more than helped me and the value they provided was fleeting. Because of books, my content pyramid is more balanced.
I know itās ironic that Iām posting this on online, but everything in moderation, right? Itās ok to ādabbleā in the system. The problem arises when we no longer use these platforms to enhance our lives, but to replace them. One eye-opening book that touches on some of these ideas is Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier. Your time is important. Donāt let it be wasted at the whims of an algorithm.
Read books to think more deeply
Reading allows you to delve deeply into ideas and perspectives, and it encourages you to build on them yourself. Even if you come across something you disagree with, reading books gives you the opportunity to fully experience another person’s thoughts and feelings. Then, these experiences and perspectives help you learn lessons the easy way. You can make better choices for yourself, and reevaluate the validity of your thoughts and opinions without some of the associated negative consequences.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I decided to read a few books about pandemics, so I picked up The Plague by Albert Camus. It showed me how a plague can disrupt peopleās lives from perspectives I hadnāt considered and it helped me to navigate these shaky times. Things that I havenāt experienced myself these past 2 years, Iām experiencing vicariously through these characters, and as well as their moral and philosophical struggles. I still think about it today and it helps me to keep a balanced perspective on the pandemic.
On the nonfiction spectrum, Eric Larson is a perfect example of this. In Dead Wake, Erik Larson shines a light on different conspiratorial aspects that make you rethink history, specifically, who is to blame for WWI? You get the German perspective as well as the American/British perspective, and you decide for yourself what the answer is. This enhances your critical thinking skills and shows you that things arenāt as black and white as they seem.
Reading yourself into self-actualization
This is by far the most important lesson Iāve learned about reading and if you take just 1 thing away from this article, let it be this ā you are powerful.
All of the books I mentioned here were written by people like you and me, people who had opinions and thoughts worth sharing. They followed their curiosity and showed the world what they found. They didnāt know how their work would affect me, or you, or anybody. They did it for themselves.
You, like them, can become a better version of yourself and do that thing youāve been thinking of doing but havenāt. Reading can be your blueprint. It was reading books like Show Your Work by Austin Kleon that inspired me to write this.
To become the best possible version of yourself, you must be open to failure. I know itās easier said than done, but fulfillment is found when we test the boundaries of our comfort zone ā whatever that means to you. You must commit yourself to learn in front of others. I guess this is my version of that.
Thank you so much if you read this until the end. I know book content isnāt for everyone but I appreciate you for giving me a shot and hearing what I had to say. I just want to do more things Iām afraid of and I hope I can inspire others to do the same.