Hi my name is YaSheeka, I am 27 and I have a reading addiction!
Sounds quite legit right? Reading has been my outlet for years especially during my college hiatus. Once i decided to branch off and away from college to jumpstart my career, i started feeling depressed. I was slipping into this depression because I was going through some sort of withdraw from not having mandatory readings and assignments to complete anymore. I know - I know, I'm total geek squad! So what did I end up doing? Considering this time was along the leap into Self-Discovery and Consciousness, i started creating my own curriculum! Just a simple curriculum - now when I say curriculum it wasn't so much of a formal document. I just went and purchased books I wanted to read that were relevant to my current situation. For example, If I wanted to advance in my writing skills in hopes of eventually becoming a published author yet still interested in learning about white supremacy in america then i would buy: Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark & The Isis Papers: The Keys to Colors by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing.
What happens when I find another book I want to read? By the click of a mouse or swipe of a screen, I'm purchasing and getting it shipped to the house. See the addiction now? After while, the books pile up and I am finding myself picking up book after book reading parts from each simultaneously.
This is a logical process for me. It may work for you as well if we share similarities. I'm assuming that you may be asking me if I read books from cover to cover - from page 1 to the very last page. Sure, I have especially urban fictions books. Those are the types of books that are just page turners. Juicy and drama filled will do that to you ;)
When you consider yourself somewhat of a scholar then a great number of your books are reference books filled with hardcore information and facts outlined to cover several topics and subtopics. This gives you the opportunity to pick and choose what area to read and where you want to focus on and pick up for the moment. I'm saying yes, you can read a whole book out of order. It's fine to skip around. The point is to intake the info the way you want. Some books even go as far to include a page generally in the beginning suggesting "how to read this book". lol It's strictly your call! You're the reader, not the author in this case so however you are moved to read then let the spirit move you.
Reading multiple books at once really works for some including myself. It works when you have a goal of connecting your readings creating your own solution-based perspective.
Here's a few tips:
- Before cracking any book open, ask yourself am I reading this for just merely entertainment? If so, enjoy your reading! If not, then it must be for educational purposes. Find a purpose!
- Anything that you spend time reading should be looked at as an investment because we all know that time is $$ well to me it is to a degree because I charge my clients by the hour. lol
- What are you investing in? In other words what are you reading? Are you reading how to over throw the government while standing in the unemployment line receiving your gov't funded benefits? Be real with yourself.
- Match your reading content to your reality and to where you are striving to be.
- Carry your book(s) with you. You are most likely to pull it out and read if you are somewhere with an idle mind.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my addiction! This blog was inspired by one of my beloved brothers in hopes to inspire him to get his reading game up by any means necessary! Guess i'll go get some reading done now! hehe ;-)
Bye for now,
YaSheeka Sutton, CLC
Certified Life Coach