Excerpt from a conversation at Columbia University:

Student: What’s the best way to prepare for a career in investment?

 Warren Buffet: Pulls out a stack of papers and trade reports and says,“Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” 

Can you guess the most common trait among successful people all over the world? That’s right, they ALL read. Really. Think of a successful person and Google him/her. Pretty sure he/she reads a LOT!

Successful people read voraciously. Be it Warren Buffet, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates… the list goes on.

Readers = Leaders
You too can be a Leader!

Why read?

To put it simply, because it’s an exhilarating experience. Reading will only make you more intellectual, it’ll open your mind to new things. You are limited by what you can imagine. Reading opens you up to a whole new world and broadens your perspective on various things. In some ways, reading also plays an important role in shaping your personality.

Why not “read more books”?

Most of us may have decided to get into the habit of reading, but how often does it happen? In most cases, it doesn’t work because it’s vague; it’s neither time-specific nor number-specific.

When a quantifiable goal isn’t set, you don’t know what exactly you’re working towards and hence the motivation to start reading automatically reduces. Distance education students would be quite familiar with such situations, given the flexibility that distance learning offers. So, having a quantifiable goal such as ‘read one book per week’ is important.

Why one book per week?

It sets a goal. Not an easy, “Oh, that seems possible” but more like “Oh wow, really? How? Can I?” Everyone likes to take up a challenge. Also, at the end of 12 months you would have finished 52 books. Now, that’s something to brag about!

What about reading your textbooks?

 We all have that friend who says “I read a lot, have you not seen my textbooks? After all, I’m a _____ (any educational stream).” Does that count? YES! Just keep reading a new textbook per week and soon you’ll outsmart your teacher!

If you can’t ‘read’…

If there’s a will there’s a way. If you find reading books too boring, listen to them. It’s a convenient way to ‘read’ your favourite authors on the go.

How to read one book per week

Break it down, do the math and divide your book in such a manner that you can complete it in a week. Say you have 300 pages to read. Break it down so that you read 30 pages per day on weekdays. And on weekends, when you have more time, just double the number. Also, set your reading time early in the day so that you’re on track. Discipline is always the key to success.

The difference between reading at a leisurely pace and reading one book per week can change who you are. If you think about it, reading one book per week is not as daunting when you put it against the 500 pages that Warren Buffet asks you to read every day.

You can be a leader! You just need to invest your time in the right direction. Pick up a book right now. Can you imagine what you could learn in one year by just reading books?