Let's start with a little interesting fact: I've never been a big fan of reading before, at least until I was 22 for sure. That is, I did not read anything other than what was supposed to be in the program and did not find any pleasure in it. However, in my junior year I came across one of Michael Lewis' books and I even liked it. Anyway, after that I took another book and officially awarded myself the title of a bookworm.
But what's the point of all this? Why try to read one book every week for a year? This is quite difficult, besides, most of them lead a rather stressful life without it, in which there are other more important activities that need to be paid attention to. Why did I do it?
1. Ideas, ideas, ideas: This helps me generate ideas not only for my website, but for my life.
2. Knowledge / education: if you don't use your brain, it will atrophy. This allows me to be constantly aware of the topics that interest me.
3. I have something to share: the more I read, the more information in my head that I can share with others to solve their questions.
4. This is a call: who doesn't love a good challenge? We should always do what pushes us forward and makes us develop. This is a good way to strengthen internal motivation, confidence, discipline and willpower.
5. It's cheaper than regular training: we'll talk more about this point later, but all 52 books cost me about $500 in total, and higher education will cost me about $21,000. In addition, I can focus on those subjects that interest me most, and learn about them in a year of reading much more than I would have learned in four or even eight years of formal education, taking into account postgraduate studies (we are talking about the American system)..
6. You begin to see beyond the view from your window: reading teaches you to go beyond your mental comfort zone and learn new ideas, theories and beliefs. You will be able to evaluate different positions and beliefs, see things and the world from different points of view.
7. The best teachers: you will get access to the best minds and the most successful teachers of all time for … well, about 10-20 bucks per head. This is probably the best deal of your life.
8. Communications: reading has allowed me to build better social relationships. I feel that it makes me a more interesting person, I can now talk about a bunch of different subjects at any time, it doesn't cost me anything to start and maintain a conversation on a variety of topics.
9. It's just fucking interesting and amazing: I repeat, it's really great!!!
This list can go on and on, but these are the main reasons for my action, which I wanted to share with you.
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Well, if the listed reasons didn't seem too convincing to you, I'll tell you the main reason. The fact is that I am somewhat disappointed in our education system. I would not like to turn this post into a battleground for opponents and defenders of the traditional training system. Modern educational institutions do a lot to teach us new knowledge and skills, give us new ideas and directions of development, prepare us for professional activity.
All this is true, but I am not sure that the money you have invested in training and, most importantly, the time are optimal in terms of the result obtained. If you have to pay for your education, then you know how difficult it is. Many people get into big debts to continue their studies, and then after graduation they cannot find a job in their specialty or even realize that they have chosen the wrong business. It turns out that they just threw money away?
I wanted to check whether self-education with the help of books can replace going to college, while saving more than $ 20,000, and how good will this method be? That is why a year ago I set a goal to read exactly 52 books in 52 weeks.
After a somewhat lengthy introduction, let's move on to the most interesting. You probably want to know how this can be done in practice. In fact, it is much easier than you think, and you can use the method I have proposed to achieve any goals and learn anything. Playing the piano, learning a new language, dancing.
1. Set the right goals. This has been said a thousand times, but the success of the whole business depends on it. Goals should be meaningful to you, specific, measurable, realistic. And do not forget about the pleasant reward for their achievement.
2. Book selection. Every Saturday night I chose the book I would read next week. I chose books based on the recommendations of friends, teachers, or simply in accordance with my personal interests in the subjects I studied.
3. Separation into small steps. The task of reading a thick book in one week may look a little intimidating, but I usually divided the number of pages into six days (one day is a rest for the brain). Thus, a 300-page book implies reading only 50 pages a day, which does not sound so scary and difficult.
4. Special time. The main obstacle to all such endeavors is the constant lack of time. Therefore, allocate a special time in your schedule, which will be designed specifically for reading. For me, the only free time was in the morning, so I began to wake up a little earlier and devote this time to reading. In addition, your mood, willpower and determination are at the highest point in the morning, so if you have a difficult task ahead of you, it's better to do it in the morning.
5. Flexibility of the schedule. Not every book I read contained 300 pages. There were also much thicker books, which it is simply impossible to overcome in a week. In this case, I compensated for the lag with one or more more subtle editions, thus remaining in line with the schedule without compromising the perception of what I read.
6. Read at any free moment. Despite the morning reading hour, I was ready for it every minute. My iPad was with me always and everywhere: in transport, at bus stops, in queues and even in the toilet. Be ready to read a couple of pages at any moment.
7. Read what you are interested in. If you are doing what you love and learn new information on the topic you are interested in, then the reading process is easy and unnoticeable. This is the main secret.
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According to my personal deep feeling, during this year I learned much more about life, philosophy, ways to achieve success, about myself and about the world around me than in eight years of study. It was not an easy year, but at the end of it I feel completely different than before and I am not sure that such an experience could give me a traditional education. Moreover, reading gave me a much broader outlook and courage in creativity, which is not very welcome in the modern education system programmed for standardization.
What conclusion can be drawn from my story?
Today there are so many ways for self-education, ranging from online courses to traditional books, that a large investment of money and time in formal education is not the best solution. At least for me. What do you think about this?
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