A genuine and passionate love

 

By ELLEN ROHR,

contributing writer

 

When our son Max was just a baby, I started reading to him. Kids, generally, love to be read to and Max certainly did. Of course, he memorized his favorites and heaven forbid I would skip one word of Donald and the Magic Mailbox.

Isn’t it a miracle when a kid learns to read? For the most part, all you have to do is read to them and they will pick it up. School helps, too. What a thrill as he sounded out One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I love to read and so hoped that Max would love it, too.

 

We started to take turns on more challenging books. He would read one page, I would read the next. We plowed through every Berenstain Bears book and laughed out loud at Captain Underpants. Then, we read the C.S.Lewis books about Narnia. We swapped pages and read all seven. I remember how sad we were when we turned the last page, and the adventure came to an end. 

 

When Max was a teenager, he read, all by himself The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger. He developed a taste for a well-written non-fiction adventure story. For a long time, Max wouldn’t choose reading as an activity until all other activities had been explored — TV, basketball, music, video games…then, he would curl up with a good story. Now, as a young adult, he is rarely without a book. 

 

What a gift it is, to be able to read. Unfortunately, not everyone who can read, does read. I kept after it with Max, always looking for a book that might ignite the flame. It’s a nice thing to do…share a good book when you come across one. My sister Gail is a voracious reader. She “screens” books for me, passing on her very favorites. Books I read have to pass this test: The writing is great or the message is worthwhile. I am fine with one or the other.

 

A great book beckons. If I walk past a book I am in the middle of, sitting on my nightstand, and I long for it — if I wish I could stop everything and read it straight through to the end — then it is a winner. I no longer feel compelled to finish every book I start. If I am not sold by page 50, the audition is over.

 

Are you behind on your reading? Why not exercise your gift? Reading leads to thinking leads to learning…and opens every door. If you are not a great reader, find something really interesting to read. You’ll get better. Keep a dictionary handy, or Google loaded up on your browser. Clean up misunderstood words and…

 

“Read something every day that no one else is reading. Think something no one else is thinking. It is bad for the mind to always be a part of unanimity.” ~ Christopher Morley

 

Magazines count. Some of my favorite writers write, wrote, for magazines. P.J. Rourke, Steven King, Tom Wolfe, Dan Holohan. Phc News absolutely counts. Newspapers don’t count. They are full of too much bad news and too little good writing. I will make an exception for the New York Times if you skip the front page.

 

Encourage reading at your company. You have a wonderful opportunity, responsibility, to develop the skills of the people who work with you. Recently Max joined an online book club. They read the book-of-the-month and then post comments about it on their Facebook pages. You could make reading cool. You could help team members learn valuable life-enhancing strategies. At the very least, you could practice reading skills and have some fun.

 

Here are some ideas for getting the book club started:

 

• Make it optional…make it worthwhile! This is not mandatory training. This is a chance to learn and share and help each other be more successful. Meet for 45 minutes…at lunch time or right before or after work.
• Start on time. Set the timer so you know when times up. Pick up where you left off last time.
• What to read? Start with non-fiction. So many people didn’t learn basic life skills from their parents. You can make a powerful difference in your employees’ lives. Ask team members for book club book suggestions. If you need some ideas, here are a few of my picks…

 

Financial Freedom:

 

• Maybe they don’t want a lecture on debt reduction from bossy old you. However, it is hard to resist the parable of The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason.  This book was written during the depression and the strategy works as well today as it did then, and thousands of years ago…the setting for the story.
• Rich people teach their kids strategies that help them be successful. Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki shares empowering financial advice…particularly about real estate investing. One of his better, lesser known books: CashFlow Quadrant: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom.

 

Better Living:

 

• Every couple of months, I go to the Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, Oklahoma and spend time with Randy Mackenzie and his Commercial Cleaning class. His students learn how to buff floors and use a power washer. Even better, they learn business and life skills. One of the inmates recommended a rockin’ good book to me. Mentor: The Kid & The CEO by Tom Pace. No one gets ahead without some help. This is a lovely story about a troubled kid finding and becoming a mentor.
• Stephanie Culp has a great 5-Point Plan for making things less complicated. Streamlining Your Life is a thin book, but overflowing with really simple, fun ways to reduce the mess and stress.

 

Communicating with family, friends and customers:

 

• Jeffrey Gitomer is fun, likes to swear and has a sharp wit. Beyond the packaging, his advice is timeless and sound. Check out his Little Teal Book of Trust…how to earn it, grow it and keep it to become a trusted advisor in sales, business and life.
• You can’t go wrong with the classic by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
• Buy copies of the Book Club selection books for your team. When they are finished, they can pass the books on to friends and family members.
• Break the book up into bit-sized pieces. Read chapter one. Read the first three pages. And welcome folks to the book club even if they get behind. Don’t make it one more thing to do and lose. Make it a safe place to explore and win. You keep up on the reading. Share with those who have read the homework and encourage everyone to just keep after it. Read one page. Read one paragraph. Bring thoughts to class.
• Have three compelling discussion points ready. Write them on the dry erase board in the lunch room or training area the day before book club. Have some fun with this. For instance…
• “Robert Kiyosaki loves real estate investing. If you could buy a piece of property anywhere on earth, where would it be?”
• Let the books lead the exploration. The best part about book club is that the author isn’t there. You all get to speculate and share ideas. No boss required…this is a meeting of equals.
• • Check out supporting resources. Is the author doing a book signing at a local book store? Is there a cool website with online discussions about the book? Maybe your team could write the author a letter…and share insights or inspired action.
• Keep it going. Take a break now and then. Then, start up fresh with a new book. Come to Book Club with no expectations and love and acceptance in your heart.
   

My nephew Jackson is seven. He loves it when I read to him. He can read a bit but he will only choose reading when all other activities have been exhausted. I’ll keep after him.

 

“Happy is he who has laid up in his youth, and held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love for reading.” ~Rufus Choate

 

Ready to break FREE? Reach me at 417/753.1111 or at contact@barebonesbiz.com.  You can also join in on our free “We love solving problems” Teleseminars at www.barebonesbiz.com.