So, why read?

For the month of November, we will be emphasizing intellectual health and growth. Do you treat your mind like a muscle? You should! Minds are meant to learn, to remember, and to problem solve. But if you rarely use your mind for these things, you won’t be very good at them. It’s a mistake to think that being intelligent is entirely a trait with which one is born. People can actually increase their mental capacity by exercising their minds.

Not only is exercising your mind a good thing, so is knowing more. Having more knowledge is intrinsically good—that is, it’s good in and of itself. To these ends, we hope you’ll accept our challenge, this week, of striving for five pages of reading each day.

There is no question that reading is a great way to intellectually grow. It enhances the imagination, improves your vocabulary, and teaches us the lasting truths of human nature. But, don’t just read any book; there are so many out there. Like television shows, most recently published books are not that great. Life is short, so we recommend picking a book from a list of classics. Perhaps start with a book from this list, if you don’t have one in mind. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9440.100_Best_Books_of_All_Time_The_World_Library_List

Alternatively, reading can be an avenue for career learning. There are great resources to expand your skillset in what you do. Maybe you want to grow into a different job position. Now is a great time to start moving toward that goal with your reading.

Perhaps you aren’t a reader, though, and you aren’t going to read without some extra motivation. If you aren’t inclined to read for yourself, you might try reading five pages to your child or grandchild. My parents read to me and my siblings almost on a daily basis and I’m incredibly grateful that they did. Reading to children improves their reading comprehension; a child’s ability to listen and retain information improves as well (https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/importance-reading-kids-daily-0). So, we hope you’ll give reading a try. Perhaps it will help you develop a new habit!