Feb
3
Reading for Value
Filed Under Intellectual Honesty
Rather than simply reading for pleasure anymore, I am trying to read from a “value” perspective. Simply stated, I am trying to do something with the information once it has been read.
Examples include:
- Recommending it to a friend with a useful, actionable summary
- Implementing a specific tactic from the book
- Document my impressions and save the file in Google Docs for future reference
As I’ve tried to become more aligned with providing value, I am no longer reading from the mindset of:
“I’m reading, therefore getting smarter…”
rather, I’m reading from the mindset of:
“I’m reading, how can I apply this information to help myself or others?”
I used to care about “body count” or the number of books I could go through in a month. Thankfully, I am getting over the juvenile notion that exposure to books equals knowledge.
Sharing your knowledge with others +
Application of knowledge +
Learning from inevitable errors = Results
Thank you for reading.
To read more about a man who shared his gift with the world, read here.
Comments
One Response to “Reading for Value”
Leave a Reply
Ah, thanks. I lekood for it on the January 19th issue and there was McGrath but writing about something else. However, check out the great article on Colorado miners by Caleb Crain in that issue.Something is stirring in the mainstream press. The other day I read an article titled Globaloney on the Atlantic Monthly, written by the magazine’s editor, that came surprisingly close to telling it like it is.As to practical preparations, I think zoning will go by the wayside. That seems like a small thing, but it is not. A parallel economy will require a de facto abandonment of zoning. If the guy can repair your car for cheap at his home garage, zoning is a very secondary consideration. This is just one example.Anyway, thanks for the good work and I am glad you are getting exposure. We have had enough gossip in this country to last several centuries. A little reality in the discourse is much needed.