Reading for personal development

Reading is good for you because it improves your focus, memory, empathy and communication skills. It can reduce stress, improve your mental health and help you live longer. Reading also allows you to learn new things that will help you succeed in your work and relationships. Reading makes one a complete person. One develops an all-encompassing personality. One acquires knowledge and wisdom. Books broaden our view of people and things. By reading good books, we acquire noble habits.

Therefore, everyone should develop a regular reading habit. When we are in the throes of disappointment and despair, reading good books can give us peace of mind and a glimmer of hope for the future. Books inspire us to work hard to achieve success in life.

Reading develops our latent qualities. Just as food is necessary for our bodies, reading is necessary for our minds. Reading is only useful if we read good books. Only good books can lead to a noble and successful career in life. Bad books corrupt our character. It is said that if wealth is lost, nothing is lost, if health is lost, something is lost, but if character is lost, everything is lost. We should therefore not accept any bad book, even for a cursory reading.

According to Bacon, some books are for tasting, others for swallowing, and some for chewing and digesting. A good book must therefore be chewed and digested so that it has a lasting impact on our lives. For example, reading the Gita has a lifelong influence on our mind. It teaches us the philosophy of life. It teaches us morality. It explains to us the law of karma, which means that we reap what we sow; only our good deeds will entitle us to a place in heaven.

Reading urges us to do our duty and not worry about the outcome.

The selection of books depends on one’s taste or aptitude. Young boys and girls usually like to read cheesy romantic or sensational novels. Reading these novels undoubtedly gives them an exciting experience. But it doesn’t help them in their studies. It doesn’t improve their career. Reading such books is therefore a sheer waste of time.

Unfortunately, there is no one to guide the students regarding the kind of books they should read. It is in the interest of students that they read only those books, magazines and periodicals that enhance their knowledge of current national and international affairs. They should also read biographies of great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Jawahar Nehru, Subhash Bose, etc.

Reading for pleasure is very different from reading for a course or profession. When we read something under duress, we don’t enjoy it. But when we read for pleasure, we enjoy a lot. But whatever our motive, we shouldn’t read every book that comes our way. We must be selective. We must separate the wheat from the chaff. We must select the best books.

The habit of reading should be developed from childhood itself so that when the children grow up they are quite knowledgeable and can be successful in life.

Books are undoubtedly our best companions. They have never let us down. In modern times, there is a great advancement in printing technology. That is why a large number of international and national newspapers are printed every day. Dozens of international and national magazines are also printed. Similarly, periodicals and periodicals are published, which increase our general knowledge about science and current affairs.

These newspapers and magazines greatly enhance the knowledge of young men and women.

Therefore, the student should read these newspapers and magazines. If he or she can’t buy them, he or she can go to some libraries and read the same. This will not only increase his knowledge, but also develop a habit of reading them.