The late Jim Rohn said…

“Miss a meal if you have to, but don’t miss a book”.

“The book you don’t read won’t help”.

Wise words.

It’s why I believe you should invest regularly in your own personal library. Learning isn’t something you do during your first two decades on the planet and then forget about.

Learning is a lifelong process. If you’re not adding to your knowledge base daily you’ll soon be the only dinosaur in the neighborhood. While it is impossible to learn and assimilate every bit of minutiae out there, you should still strive to stay current in your area of expertise.

My personal library is full of different titles on a myriad of subjects, but the broad categories that are important to me involve business, self-improvement, and marketing. Also, having a good reference section is invaluable.

Identify which categories are pertinent to your own self-growth and add to it regularly. If cost is an issue, there are low-cost alternatives to buying new. Amazon, ebay, and of course, the neighborhood used bookstore.

In addition to having an extensive pdf library on my comp I still prefer the tactile feel of the printed page. Whoever predicted the demise of the local bookseller couldn’t have been more wrong. It seems they’re thriving now more than ever.

The medium you choose to store and read the information doesn’t matter; I use both electronic and print, but what does matter is the content and your assimilation of it.

Who has time to read? Well, as it turns out… most everyone. We all have moments where were sitting in waiting rooms, standing in line at Starbucks, or waiting patiently for a flight.

Those downtime minutes can become the most valuable minutes you spend during your day. Self-education doesn’t come in the form of a pill or a brain download (at least not yet)… so it becomes your responsibility.

I would like to suggest one book to read to help you process the written word quicker and although its copyright date is 1992, the info in it will help you read much faster. I found the little paperback gem buried in my own library, back behind a stack of larger books. The pages have yellowed over time but the words are as inspiring now as when they were originally penned.

The book is the source of inspiration for this article and is titled The Evelyn Wood Speed Reading & Learning Program. (I know, I know…) but it’s worth the few minutes it takes to read it. Three US presidents thought enough of the program to implement the techniques for themselves but also wanted their staff to use the techniques too.

Begin your building your own library today. It’ll be worth it many times over down the road.