Just Can't Emphasize it Enough

Reading matters.

It matters in the way eating right matters. If I don't eat properly, I may get away with it for a short period of my life. But, eventually, that situation will change. My body will gain weight and I'll have to contend with a host of stresses that steadily damage it. There's a reason people in dire situations people fall back on the adage: At least I have my health. It matters.

Reading matters.

It matters in the way treating others as you'd like to be treated matters. If I treat others differently than I'd like to be treated, then eventually I'm not likely to have very many people who'd like to spend time with me. We know that friendships and family matter, because they provide the support that keeps your mind and body emotionally fit. It matters.

Reading matters.

It matters in the way having a steady eye on your financial future matters. If I do not manage my finances properly, I'll find it increasingly difficult to pay my bills and provide for those who depend on me. Constant financial worry creates stress, which can lead to poorer quality of life physically and emotionally. It matters.

Reading matters.

Reading matters so much that I'd place it on par with the heady list above.

And here's why.

Reading is about so many things. I can write about how it takes your mind to places you may never get to experience, space, Kuala Lumpur, the future. I can write that reading is a great equalizer, that anyone who reads often arms himself with information that no amount of money can outdistance. I can write much more on the gift reading gives you, but (and maybe this is cynical) I've learned that most won't listen until they see where it hits their wallet.

So here it is.

Below is a simple chart depicting the annual income a person can expect to receive based upon his years of schooling.

Like any simple chart, there's a lot of room for exceptions. We all know the roofer down the road who quit high school and is more than financially well off, but that and those are exceptions to the norm. For the most part, we can reliably agree and predict that those who go to school, college, and post-graduate school will be financial better off than those who do not. Key to all those years of schooling of course is their steady diet of reading. Writing too, but I'm focused on the reading stuff for this post.

By reading a lot and with fidelity, you're putting yourself into a position to advance your years of schooling, to then earn a better paying job, and to build a healthier life for yourself. You're also creating a cycle whereby these things are passed on to your children.

I just can't emphasize it enough.

Reading matters.



For more information on why reading matters, download this informative brochure by Jim Trelease. You might also find interest in his read aloud brochures, here and here, as well as here.