Books have literally powered my success in business and in my previous corporate career. It propelled me in ways I never imagined. I remember being skeptical when my boss told me that I should read traditional marketing books to enhance my knowledge but it turns out it was one of the best advice I ever received. It was so effective that I even blew half my salary on a bunch of hardbound books that schools used for college textbooks as literature that I would read while I was in the bathroom (lol). Anyway, here are 8 reasons why I think books still matter and why we should invest time, effort, and money in reading a lot of ‘em.
There’s a saying that we shouldn’t wait for inspiration but we should go out and look for it. When I’m in a dry spell and I feel like my growth as a professional or as an entrepreneur has stopped, I take it as a sign that I need to go out and buy a new book. Usually after finishing a good read I have tons of great ideas that I want to work on.
If you’re stuck right now in life and you have no idea what to do next I strongly recommend that you pick up Seth Godin’s Linchpin or The Dip. Another insightful piece of literature is 37 Signal’s Rework. The only way to break out of getting stumped is to actively find inspiration because that will give you the energy and courage you need to find whatever it is you need to do.
Motivational speaker Chinkee Tan loves saying that the best teacher is not experience, but the experience of others. I believe in this 100%. There’s no reason for you to make the same mistakes over and over again if they’re recorded somewhere. Books contain the experience and insights of people who have gone before you. As trailblazers, they will provide you with a road map that you can try and eventually improve on.
Steve Jobs said in his keynote address to a Stanford graduating class that we should all “stay hungry, stay foolish”. This means that we should have an attitude of learning and improvement. We should never settle and stop growing as people. Reading books means that one enjoys learning. Eventually it becomes a mindset and an attitude.
You know you’ve reached this point when you can’t put down a book once you’ve started reading it.
This is one of the most underrated reasons on why people should read books, especially works of fiction. When I was a young kind my older brother shared with me the magical world of Faerun and Krynn (Forgotten Realms and the Dragonlance Saga). This is the first time I got hooked to reading. I would spend hours devouring text that I could barely understand but it didn’t really matter since all the characters and the battles were alive in my mind! Reading fiction at a young age also exposed me to how
enjoyable reading can be and paved the way for me to read more serious literature later on. There are also some things that you can learn better through fiction. I was already an adult when I read The Alchemist and the lessons in that short book are forever ingrained in me.
A wild imagination spurs creativity and innovation. It helps us look at things in a different perspective which enables us to come up with out-of-the-box solutions.
Ask any manager or recruitment officer on what skill they would love for their applicants to have and I’m sure that one of them is good communication skills. The ability to properly and effectively express yourself verbally or especially through writing can make or break one’s career. Think about it, in this day and age our cell phones never stop ringing, our e-mail inboxes never get emptied, and instant messengers keep buzzing. Learning how to properly write is a critical skill. Reading different kinds of books allows you to see different writing styles and communication methods.
My favorite question during interviews is if the applicant reads. Most of the time they’ll mention a book that I’ve already read and I take that opportunity to test them if they’re not trying to BS me. 80% of the time they’re just making it up (which is sad).
We live in an era of multi-tasking and distractions. There are so many things asking for our attention and most of them are actually not important. What usually happens is we divide our effort, time, and resources to all of these things and we never excel at anything. We just become average. Reading a book trains us to focus because you need to give it your undivided attention for an extended period of time.
Most industry or niche books have solid case studies that you can draw insights from. In my profession there are tons of marketing books that have great examples on how marketers approached their brand and their target market in a variety of ways. The books also explain their thinking process, their analysis, and their actions. The more books your read the wider range of solutions that you have for different kinds of situations at work.
I wouldn’t be a marketer today if it wasn’t for the book “Positioning” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. That book had so many applications that I used in my career in corporate and even now in business.
Lastly, books allow us to become channels of blessing. When we read we stock up on knowledge which is valuable for other people. When our colleagues, subordinates, and friends come to us for advice we can give them counsel that has substance because we’ve read about it. A good idea is to give books as gifts to people you think would benefit a lot from reading it. For example, I remember giving away at least 10 copies of Seth Godin’s Linchpin to friends who I thought needed to get jolted a bit with their career. I know that they appreciated the gesture and the book has made an impact on them already.
This is even more true if you’re in a job that demands for you to come up with concepts and strategies. How do you expect to propose breakthrough campaigns if you don’t have a storehouse of ideas?
I recently wrote on Facebook saying that I can think of at least 1 book that I read which inspired me or allowed me to pursue all of the major milestones that I’ve had in my life so far. I’ll be sharing with you guys all of those moments plus the books that I’m talking about in a separate blog entry. Hopefully it will be done within the week.
To all the parents reading this, teach your kids how to read at an early age. Let them enjoy it. It will be one of the best investments you can ever make for their future.
Great points Carlos. Could you recommend any books about making ad copy? Like David Ogilvy stuff?
Oohh, I have some great recos. Let me just check my personal library so I get the names of the books and the authors correct. I’ll DM it to you on FB.
I ‘procured’ Ogilvy’s two books XP. But any recommendation for books on ad copy, and marketing in general, would be most welcome Boss!
Thanks for sharing this, Sir! This is very inspiring.
No problem. Please do share with your friends as well!
I love books and I read voraciously (the latest in my collection is Martin Lindstrom’s Buy-ology, which is about neuromarketing)…but I still like making mistakes. Mistakes lead to great discoveries and inventions.
Just when I rediscovered my love for reading, I see this article. I agree with everything you said, especially #2. I got a friend who was so ashamed of reading self-help books during the times she was experiencing major troubles with her bf of 8+ years. I told her those books should help you build up the courage to do what’s right for YOU. Now, she’s with someone else, finally free from a very unhealthy relationship. And, she’s truly happy. Learning from others’ mistakes can really help. Prevention is better than cure, I believe.
2. Minimize your mistakes
Motivational speaker Chinkee Tan loves saying that the best teacher is not experience, but the experience of others. I believe in this 100%. There’s no reason for you to make the same mistakes over and over again if they’re recorded somewhere. Books contain the experience and insights of people who have gone before you. As trailblazers, they will provide you with a road map that you can try and eventually improve on.
—–
I totally agree with this. I always tell my friends that I don’t have the luxury of time to make all of the mistakes, though I believe that experience are the best teachers I might as well learn from their experience. Sadly they do not realize the value of minimizing mistake. They want the mistakes for themselves
Hi Mr. Carlo Ople,
I often read your blogs and I also follow u on twitter. Your blog has been helpful in my digital marketing training. Now I’ll be transferred in Brand and I’m a bit nervous if I’ll do good there. What books can you recommend me since I’m not a Marketing graduate and brand management is really new to me.
Thanks!
-Jacq
Marketing Plan by Josiah Go
Thanks!