Life hasn’t always been this way. Growing up, I was used to being shamed for reading by 1 group of “friends” and shamed for not-reading-enough by another. And just two generations ago, my lineage was picking cotton in Louisiana, unable to read or write; held back by fear. The same fear that kept them from learning, and growing and expressing, freely.
Now I read three different books, three times a day to balance my perspective and stretch my curiosity without sacrificing depth.
Motivation in the morning - “A Year of Conscious Living” by Gay Hendricks
Self Help Science in the day - “Mindset” by Carol Dweck
Fiction at night - “Kindred” by Octavia Butler
It’s nice to have the balance of genres. If I read too much Self Help content, I get sick of it! Likewise for any other genre. Keeping a diverse reading pattern makes reading so much more satisfying. Here are some other tips about reading multiple books at once by Adiba Jaigirdar from Bookriot.com…
Read different books at different places. My favorite place to read is in bed.
Read through different mediums.
Read for your mood – not for your TBR list.
Take all the time you need.
The last one made so much sense to me. I was a slow reader and felt self conscious about it until I realized that it didn’t really matter… I was like “Who tf am I reading this stuff for? Take your time, Jake.” I still read pretty slowly but I enjoy taking my time and fully being present with my reading time. Looking back at all the books I’ve read now, I wonder why I let people shame me as a youngster… Maybe to fit in and create a safe place for myself in the world. I encourage you to not fall in to the “fit in” trap. As Brené Brown said…
“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”
Do what makes you happy and your community will find you. Belonging will find you!
Happy Reading!