How Reading Transforms Your Mindset
Reading is one of the most powerful tools for gaining knowledge and understanding. It has the potential to reshape your paradigms, habits, and mindset. When you read, you immerse yourself in a different reality, exposing your mind to new perspectives.
For me, reading has significantly sharpened my thinking. In the past, my thoughts were scattered, but the more I read, the more organized they became. Beyond mental clarity, reading enhances focus, memory, communication skills, and empathy. Studies even show that reading can reduce brain decline by 32%.
What You Will Learn in This Article
In this article, you’ll discover:
- How to improve your mental focus like a laser and stay engaged while reading.
- Ways to strengthen your willpower to increase productivity.
- Strategies to eliminate daily distractions, such as excessive news consumption, to enhance focus.
This is not just motivational content—it’s practical.
My Initial Struggles with Reading
Back in high school, when I first recognized the importance of reading, I struggled. I wanted to enjoy books, but I found reading tedious and exhausting. I could barely finish a single book in a year, and even when I did, I hardly grasped the content. It felt like lifting weights beyond my capacity.
The Secret to Staying Focused While Reading
The Turning Point: May 2018
As the years passed, I felt like I was accomplishing nothing. In May 2018, I reached a breaking point. I was lost in life, desperate for change. That’s when I discovered Bob Proctor’s videos on YouTube. He talked about the six mental faculties of the human mind, one of which is Willpower—a crucial determinant of success.
When reading, if your mind lacks focus, you quickly get bored. Forcing yourself to read without focus leads to mental exhaustion. Bob Proctor suggested an exercise: focusing on a dot for 10-20 minutes daily for a few months to strengthen willpower.
I applied this method, and the results were incredible. My mental focus improved dramatically. I felt liberated. Reading became enjoyable, and I started consuming books one after another. Whenever my mind felt cluttered, I practiced this method to regain focus before reading.
The Attention Grabber Era
We live in an age of constant distractions. News and social media create a flood of information, competing for our attention. Social media, in particular, triggers instant gratification, making distractions more appealing than deep reading.
Protecting Your Focus
To combat this, I:
- Avoid checking news or social media first thing in the morning.
- Start my day with gratitude, exercise, and mindful reflection.
- Minimize exposure to unnecessary digital distractions.
The Three Primary Sources of Knowledge
You can gain knowledge from three main sources:
- Friends and Relatives – Learning from their experiences.
- Mentors and Teachers – Gaining structured guidance.
- Reading Books – The most accessible and comprehensive source of knowledge.
Not everyone has access to great mentors, but books can serve as your lifelong teachers.
Digital vs. Paper Books
Initially, I read printed books, but as my reading volume increased, I switched to Kindle. While research suggests that physical books enhance memory retention, digital reading offers benefits like:
- Portability
- Increased reading speed
- Easy access to numerous books
Learning from Years of Experience
Books condense years of an author’s experience into a few days of reading.
Elon Musk was once asked how he managed to lead companies like Tesla and SpaceX. His response? “I have read lots of books.” This simple statement had a profound impact on me. If reading played a role in the success of one of the world’s richest individuals, why shouldn’t I prioritize it?
How Reading Changed My Life
Reading has given me clarity and direction. Over the years, I have read around 200 books on business and self-improvement. It has also helped me master English, a language I initially struggled with.
My Reading Strategy
I aim to read one book per week—about 50 books a year. To achieve this, I:
- Plan my reading in advance.
- Break books into daily reading goals. For instance, a 350-page book divided over 7 days means reading 50 pages per day.
- Follow a structured system to ensure consistency. As the saying goes: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Conclusion
By improving your willpower, you can enhance your reading skills and overall productivity. The more focused you are, the more efficient you become.
If you’re new here, I’m Reza Taheri, a civil engineering graduate who shifted my focus to creating valuable content like this. If you found this helpful, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Recommended Books
- Think & Grow Rich
- You Were Born Rich
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
