Reading with gratitude — Why you should think of the author as a close personal friend.
Your favorite authors are your own personal advisory board. Many have spent more time and energy dedicated to helping you than some of your closest friends and family.
I used to think of books as mass produced and completely impersonal. Recently my mind has changed and I find it’s better to think of them as an amazing and generous attempt to help from a very close personal friend.
Imagine the book was written just for you
Think of the hours it takes to write and publish a book. It can be painstaking work. Now imagine that author wanting to help you so much that they did that work just for you. Then imagine if it really was one of your close friends that did that for you?
Could you brush them off and not take their advice? Could you listen to them coach and encourage you for hours or days or weeks and then and just shrug it off? I doubt that.
Most authors genuinely care about their readers and want to help
This is not to suggest you read with guilt, but with gratitude. I find framing the experience this way to be extremely useful, especially with instructional or self-help books. Most of these authors aren’t publishing for the money. Sure, that’s a very nice byproduct. But I believe most authors genuinely care about their readers and want to help them learn and succeed. The authors have learned some hard and valuable lessons on their way to success and they want to share with each of us so that our journeys may be easier, faster, and even more successful.
Read as if you’re getting advice from a loved one or close friend
So as you read each book listen for the love in the words. Read and listen as if you’re getting advice from a parent or a loved one or your closest friend. I’m willing to bet you find a deeper connection and get even more from the book.
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