There are two different types people who read books. There’s the accidental reader, and then there’s the intentional reader. In this video I explain the difference between the two and give four ways to choose the right books to read.
Two Types of Readers
There are two type of readers, the accidental reader and the intentional reader.
The Accidental Reader
The accidental reader is somebody that says, "I accidentally found this book" or "Somebody told me about this book, so I'm reading it."
The Intentional Reader
The intentional reader has graduated the accidental mindset. The intentional reader asks, "How do I pick and choose which books I should read as an entrepreneur?"
How to Choose the Right Books To Read
Today I want to talk about how you should process which books to read. This will save you a lot of time. As a business owner, as an entrepreneur, your time is valuable, and you've got to protect your time as much as possible. There's nothing worse than wasting time reading a terrible book.
Four Reasons People Read Books
There are four reasons why we read books:
#1: Entertainment
An example of this is fiction books that you read simply for entertainment.
#2: Inspiration
I like to read biographies because they inspire me. I get so inspired when I read books about people like Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Elon Musk, or Nicola Tesla.
#3: How To
Then there are books that teach how to do something, such as how to raise money, or how to master the art of selling.
#4: Knowledge
A couple of examples of knowledge books are philosophy and health-related books.
How I Choose the Right Books to Read
Here are four things I consider when choosing the right books to read.
Author
For me, choosing books based on the author is similar to choosing which movies to watch based on the actor. For example, if I see Matthew McConaughey, Rachel McAdams, Denzel Washington or Will Smith in a movie, I'll most likely watch the movie.
It's the exact same thing with books. For example, if Robert Greene writes a book, I'm the first one to read it. Robert's a good friend of mine. He's written 48 Laws of Power, 33 Strategies of War, Art of Seduction, and Mastery. If he writes a book, I'm the first one that's reading it, because I follow the author. So you may read a book simply because you enjoy the author.
Reviews
The second thing I look at are reviews. Certain books get raving reviews, and that's worth paying attention to. The other day I bought a book because the reviews were astounding.
Subject
The other way to choose the right books to read is subject. My suggestion to you is to intentionally choose books based on subject. For instance, if you're not a good leader and you want to learn how to become a leader, immerse yourself in the best leadership books. If you're not a very good salesman and want to become a better salesman, read the best sales books out there. If you want to become a very good entrepreneur, read everything on entrepreneurship. Pick a topic, a skill, and obsesses about learning it.
Recommendation
The fourth one for me is the credibility of the person making the recommendation. There is nothing more annoying to me than when somebody gives me a book and says, "Hey, I've never read this book, but I think you'll like it."
Let me tell you why that's offensive.
Can you imagine recommending a movie that you've never seen? "Hey, go watch this movie. I've never seen it, but go waste two hours of your life and then tell me if it's good." It's offensive that they haven't taken the time to watch the movie or read the book but want me to waste my time doing it.
When I recommend a book to someone I say, "I read this book, here's what I got out of it, and based on what you're asking, I think this is a very good book for you." That shows respect when you recommend the book to somebody.
You may read a book because your mentor recommends it to you. You better believe if my mentor recommends a book that they've read, I don't hesitate to read the book. Why? That person sees an area in my life that either needs inspiration, improvement or clarity, and if they're willing to take the time to recommend that I read a book, I don't hesitate to read it.
So it's important to consider the credibility of the person recommending the book.
When it Comes How to Choose the Right Books to Read . . .
So this is how I suggest to pick books to read. Don't just go out there and wing it.
Generally new entrepreneurs typically start off by reading books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad, How to Win Friends & Influence People, and Think and Grow Rich. There's generally between 20 and 40 books everyone reads and then they get stuck.
Once you hit that place, follow the system here. And I suggest that you don't waste a lot of time reading books for entertainment purposes. As you get busier and busier, you need to minimize things that waste your time, and if you spend six hours reading a book that did nothing more than entertain, you just wasted six hours.
Listen in here for the one time I recommend reading books that entertain.
From Accidental to Intentional
Every entrepreneur should eventually go from being an accidental reader to an intentional reader. If you follow the four steps above, you'll make sure the books you read help you progress in various areas of your business as a CEO, leader, and an entrepreneur.
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