Featured Fundamism: Read Something of Interest

Welcome to our Featured Fundamism! We consistently profile a new Fundamism providing individuals guidance on activities intended to bring more F.U.N. to their lives. The goal is to provide education and exposure to things that could potentially help focus less on the things in life that tear us down and more on what builds us up. This Featured Fundamism? Read Something of Interest!

WHAT:

Read something of interest

WHY:

When I was a kid, my mother always told me that reading made me smart. For years I thought intelligence was directly correlated to the number of books I read. Maybe that’s why Forrest Gump’s, “I’m not a smart man” quote always resonated with me. Dr. Seuss once wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” I knew that reading would provide me opportunity but it was not something that I enjoyed or gave me strength. As a result, I found myself gravitating towards other Fundamisms like working out, video games, playing basketball and more.

As I grew older, I realized that there are far more benefits to reading than just growing my vocabulary or feeling smart, mental health being the most important to me. A 2013 article from The Atlantic titled, “More Scientific Evidence that Reading is Good for You,” details how reading reduced the rate of cognitive decline in dementia patients. In addition, the article outlines how reading can provide individuals with “an increased tolerance for uncertainty.

One of the most powerful articles of the benefits of reading for me was a Huffington Post column titled, “6 Science-Backed Reasons to Go Read a Book Right Now,” written by Laura Schocker. Laura stated that reading can reduce stress, keep the brain sharp, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, help you sleep better, make you more empathetic and ease depression. What more evidence do you need? I know its not always as F.U.N. as binge watching Netflix. However, if reading can improve mental health as outlined above, why not give it a try?

HOW:

There are millions of pieces of literature that can be found anywhere including the checkout counter at a local grocery store, the library or at the click of a button from the comfort of your own home. My mother, Martha, will go to the library every Saturday morning, check out 3 novels, read them all in a week’s time and return them the following Saturday to repeat the cycle.

I’m not that diligent or driven to read at that level. Typically, I enjoy reading sports, feel good stories or news articles from links I find on Twitter. For me, it’s important to avoid strongly opinionated articles or those written with a negative tone. As a motivational speaker, I always thought I had to read self-help content to stay relevant in my industry. However, reading that type of content typically loses my interest within minutes. As you begin or continue your exploration into the Fundamism of reading, it’s imperative that you balance the things you feel you should read with those that are actually of interest. This will improve the likelihood of you enjoying reading while reducing the probability of burnout.

Tonight as you finally find time to wind down and are looking for a little mental relief, try substituting the remote for a good read. If the result is a great night's rest and a temporary escape from your troubles, you might be thankful you did.