How Reading Can Rewire Your Brain
How Reading Can Rewire Your Brain
Have you ever wondered how reading is fundamental (besides what your parents and teachers told you)? Do you think reading can have the potential to rewire your brain? Reading is not only fundamental but applicable to personal finance – along with being good for your health. For example, Warren Buffett invests in his mind is by reading. He says “no matter what you want to learn or improve on, there is a book that can help you.” When asked why he reads so much he said “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.”
“Knowledge…builds up like compound interest.”
– Warren Buffett
A few of the health benefits reading offers include stimulating the brain, improves creativity, builds vocabulary, and can help prevent cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s. I reference additional benefits here. Reading really does have the potential to rewire your brain.
I never had a desire to read until a few years ago. Then I realized how much books can quite literally change your life and alter your thinking process. Some books can provide a mental escape into another world and other books can help you learn an in-demand skill. Reading can promote a psychological change and expand your knowledge about certain subjects of interest – such as psychology, technology, or personal finance…my personal favorites. Below I’ve comprised a list of my top recommended books along with outstanding quotes:
Start With Why (Simon Sinek)
“Very few people or companies can clearly articulate why they do what they do. By why I mean your purpose, cause or belief. Why does your company exist? Why should anyone care?”
This book was the push I needed to launch my blog. I thought about the idea of having a personal finance blog for a few years but this book helped me take action. I wrote my entire about section based on this concept. This is an important question to ask about many decisions in life to see where the desire originates from and to understand our own reasons for doing something.
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (Bruce D. Perry)
“Emotions such as anger are characterized by two things: bodily sensations and a tendency to think a certain way. If you take both away, there is nothing left.”
This is simple yet profound. This quote acknowledges anger as a normal human emotion but not all reactions have to lead to anger. Have you ever noticed that some people seem to be angry about everything? Well this book showcases the correlation between trauma, the developing mind, and how to better be in control of your emotions.
Reasons to Stay Alive (Matt Haig)
“Every book written is the product of a human mind in a particular state. Add all the books together and you get the end sum of humanity.”
Each book showcases a person behind it. One widely known book that comes to mind is the Bible. This is the epitome of “the end sum of humanity” considering that the bible is comprised of many books written by a few different men, each written at different parts of their life or a particular state. The Bible is often called the human manual for good reason.
Notes on a Nervous Planet (Matt Haig)
“We simply aren’t made to live our lives in artificial light. We live in 24-hour societies but not 24-hour bodies.”
The world continues to work even when we don’t. Many companies run on 24/7 schedules but we are not built to work indefinitely. Sleep deprivation can negatively impact your health and this book brings to light the effects that modern society can have on your health and how it feeds your anxiety. It also notes (pun not intended) how to live a better life outside of the expectation to always be available.
Essentialism (Greg McKeown)
“Separate the decision from the relationship.”
Decisions can be difficult especially if there is an interpersonal conflict. You might wonder how someone might feel about a decision you make or if you will hurt the person’s feelings. This book gives insight on how to say “no” regardless of the business or personal relationship you have with the recipient. This book also helps you to identify what essentialism really means and how to make life decisions based on what is essential to you.
Atomic Habits (James Clear)
“You’re chasing the same outcome because you never changed the system behind it. When you solve problems at the results level, you only solve them temporarily. In order to improve for good, solve problems at the systems level. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.”
In information technology there is something called an OSI model. This is what I closely associate this quote with. In order to know what to fix, you have to decipher what level it failed on. Just like there are 7 levels of the OSI model that can cause a problem, problems work the same way. The focus being on not putting a Band-Aid on problems but finding a root cause and fixing it permanently at the systems level.
“Why do I say something is important but never make time for it? Every goal is doomed to fail if it goes against the grain of human nature. How can I make it easy? How can I make it satisfying?”
The blog post I wrote about subconscious ways you are wasting money references this quote about how lifestyle changes can be difficult but the only way we will stick to any lifestyle changes we make is if it is convenient for us to do. We typically take the path of least resistance and sometimes that resistance is ourselves.
“The secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like work.”
The only way we will enjoy things including hobbies is if it does not feel like work. This is applicable in many aspects, even personal finance when it comes to maximizing your income. Investments are one example of how you can maximize your income while you sleep because your money is making money.
The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk)
“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself.”
Holding everything in is not healthy and it can impact your mental health. In the wise words of Jenifer Lewis “we’re as sick as our secrets.” This book goes into detail about the correlation between our minds and body.
Everything Is Figureoutable (Marie Forleo)
“Every pro starts off as an amateur. There’s not one top artist, athlete, writer, scientist, architect, entrepreneur, programmer, musician, or potter who enters the field at the top of her game. To begin anything new or learn anything new means you will be a neophyte. Be willing to suck. Remember that gal that gave up? Neither does anyone else.”
The title itself is applicable to many aspects of life. If you don’t know something, you can figure it out. That is the mantra of this book. This book has personally helped me to stop making excuses for not knowing how to to do something or feeling like too much of an amateur to be successful at something (such as launching a website) but everything is quite literally figureoutable.
In summary, I encourage everyone to read more because of the many knowledgeable intricacies it offers as well as psychological benefits. There are many free resources available available provided by your local library including eBooks and audiobooks through Libby, Hoopla, and cloudLibrary. Find the genre that appeals to you and never stop learning because that is the best investment you can make!