The Life-Changing Power of Reading: One Book at a Time

01

Reading Books Is a Lifelong Journey

There was a young man who greatly admired a famous author. He wrote a letter to express his admiration for the author and also shared his life troubles.

After reading the letter, the author replied to the young man, saying that his problem was that he read too few books but had too many dreams.

Because he didn’t read books, life felt dull and uninspiring.

Because he didn’t read books, he felt anxious and unclear about his future.

Because he didn’t read books, he felt restless and insecure.

Because he didn’t read books, he remained mediocre.

The author Yu Qiuyu once said: “”””The biggest reason to read books is to escape mediocrity. If you start reading early one day, life will become more vibrant; if you start reading late one day, life will become more ordinary.””””

Therefore, a better life begins with reading books.

02

Reading Books Can Heal You

On the internet, there’s a question: Have you ever read a healing book?

A reader shared her story.

Back then, she was heartbroken and felt worthless, doubting her ability to love someone else, and constantly questioning herself.

While shopping for books with her younger brother, a book titled “”””The Solitude of Prime Numbers”””” caught her eye.

Author Paul Giordano wrote the book from two perspectives, portraying both the male and female protagonists, with each having their own chapters. These two characters were like prime numbers, sometimes close and sometimes distant, and they interacted and healed each other, which amazed her.

The page numbers were also marked with prime numbers. Prime numbers were sometimes close and sometimes far apart, just like the relationships between people.

The last sentence of the story, “”””she stood up with a gentle force,”””” helped her gain insight.

The feeling at that moment was like negative emotions reaching the waistband; if you lie down, you’ll sink, but with a gentle force, you stand up, and everything naturally becomes better.

In life, out of ten parts, eight or nine may not go as planned. Everyone experiences feelings of heartbreak, loneliness, disappointment, failure, difficulties, confusion, and others can’t understand you, and you temporarily can’t break free from them.

At this time, reading books can help heal you.

Some people read “”””Heidi,”””” a story that warms the sky of childhood and peaceful adolescence.

Some people read “”””Journey Under the Midnight Sun”””” to cure their loneliness. They see a glimmer of light piercing through the night, bringing warmth.

Scholar Liu Xiang has a famous saying: “”””Books are like medicine, reading can cure ignorance.””””

He believes that reading books can help cure various forms of “”””ignorance”””” in people.

English philosopher Francis Bacon also believed that all kinds of mental shortcomings could be improved through the pursuit of knowledge.

In the fast-paced modern life, with great pressures, we all carry some “”””ailments”””” such as laziness, anxiety, stubbornness, and comparison.

And in my opinion, reading is not only enjoyable but also a good remedy for healing.

03

Reading can help advance your career

Reading has a supportive role in your career.

Over 10 years ago, T. failed the university entrance exam twice due to a difficult family situation, so he had to go out and find work.

Due to his limited academic qualifications, he could only take on jobs such as security, serving in a bar, or working as a cashier.

He realized that these jobs were easily replaceable and paid low wages.

So, he decided to challenge himself and applied for a marketing position. For an introverted person like T., this was extremely difficult and required great courage and determination.

During the 5 years of doing this job, he cultivated the habit of reading books, and as a result, he changed his thoughts and beliefs.

After encountering this sentence in a book he had read: “”””The most valuable investment of youth is in oneself,”””” T. resigned from his job and started a writing career in 2016.

Starting with enthusiasm, he wrote one article every day.

However, most of his articles had very few readers, and the economic benefits were low. His enthusiasm for the job gradually declined.

When he didn’t know what to do next, T. enrolled in a writing class. After reading more than 100 books related to writing, T. started writing book reviews.

After a period of in-depth research, his writing skills improved significantly. The number of readers of his articles increased rapidly, and some of his works were even republished by major newspapers.

T. began reading books on various subjects beyond writing, such as psychology, marketing, and management.

By reading the works of Peter Drucker, a management consulting master, T. found a way to identify his own strengths and avoid weaknesses.

He thought: Why not combine writing skills with sales skills?

And so, T. found a suitable path for his development: writing + sales = copywriting.

At first, he worked as a copywriter for free for some friends, and after receiving positive feedback from them, he began writing in the business field.

Over time, T. had the opportunity to collaborate with more people, and his online copywriting class attracted many participants.

Currently, he is a well-known freelancer with a salary that many people aspire to.

Without the process of reading books, could T. have become who he is today?

Sheryl Kara Sandberg, the author of “”””Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,”””” said, “”””Interactions can change perceptions, perceptions can change behavior, behavior can change the environment.””””

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said that reading a good book is like interacting with a great person.

Reading books is like making friends with a mentor, a good friend, and it brings many benefits. Each sentence in a book can awaken those who are confused, helping people become more enlightened, aware of many things, and advance their careers.

04

Life becomes better, starting with reading

Yu Minhong (Michael Yu is the founder and chairman of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., a private education service provider in China. The headquarters of New Oriental is located in Haidian District, Beijing) said, “”””Reading books may not necessarily lead you to success, but how can you grow a lush forest without fertile land? Of course, the land needs fertilizer. For a nation, what is its fertilizer? It is knowledge, it is reading.””””

He once shared his own story in the book “”””I Hope the Youth of Yours Will Not Let Down Their Dreams.””””

After failing the university entrance exam three times, Yu Hongmin finally entered Peking University in China.

In university, he was exactly a “”””poor and not very knowledgeable”””” student, poor in economic terms and lacking in knowledge.

By year 3, he also contracted tuberculosis, which made him extremely self-conscious.

He had never dated, and he also hoped to be able to make friends with outstanding people.

But making friends also required effort, and what he relied on was reading books.

Wang Qiang was one of his classmates, a very talented friend. When Wang Qiang was reading a book, Yu Minhong found a way to start a conversation with him.

When Wang Qiang went to buy books, Yu Minhong also went along.

Gradually, they read books similar to each other, and the topics of conversation increased day by day.

During his university years, Yu Minhong read over 800 books, which also served as the foundation for him to socialize with more outstanding friends.

With the strategy and arrangement of this outstanding group of friends, New Oriental was born.

He shared that without these outstanding friends, there would be no New Oriental today.

Yu Minhong said: “”””If you want to integrate into a certain group of friends, you either have to be a leader or you have to be someone with ideas and contributions.””””

Yu Minhong: “”””Reading books may not necessarily make you successful, but how fertile is the land for growing lush vegetation? Of course, it’s the land with fertilizer. For a nation, what is its fertilizer? It’s knowledge, it’s reading books.””””

Reading books can mature a person’s soul, shaping their own thoughts.

When your thoughts reach a certain height, you can only make friends at that high level, and your vision and thinking will also be elevated, and your future will be more open.

Books are the way out for most problems.

When you feel anxious and confused, face difficulties and failures, read books.

There will always be a book that helps you overcome everything.

Reading books is a lifelong journey.

Some say: “”””Reading books not only helps you understand the world, but it can also bring you closer to the human heart. More importantly, the more you read, the clearer you will understand ‘who you are,’ ‘where you should go,’ and ‘what you really want.’

Reading books won’t make you better overnight, but within books, you can read a better version of yourself.

Life becomes better, starting with reading, transforming you into a richer, more interesting, awake, knowledgeable, and far-sighted individual.

(Source: cafebiz.vn)