The Her Campus South Carolina team definitely made a resolution or two, and we thought we’d share this one with you. Here at HCSC, we plan to read one book a week, but that’s easier said than done. Reading is a huge time requirement. Think about it, something in your daily routine is going to have to give, like your daily ‘flix binge. But, we think it’s a major necessity.
In a 2013 study done by the Huffington Post, editors discovered that of the 1,000 people polled, 280 of them did not read a book in the last year. That amounts to 28% of those who participated. And, considering all of the advancements in technology since then, the likelihood of that number rising is high.
It’s easy to understand how reading books, in addition to those assigned for a course requirement can seem like a chore. But, reading regularly has a great kickback, especially for your mental health.
In fact, according to the Telegraph, a 2009 study completed at the University of Sussex concluded that reading helps to reduce stress. Researchers monitored participants heart rates during high-stress situations, and then after while they participated in different types of activities like reading, relaxing with a drink, going for a walk, and listening to music. Sure enough, it became evident that reading had the most noticeable effect, positively reducing the participants’ stress levels by 68 percent.
But, reducing stress is only one of the great reasons to start reading. Other reasons include reducing your risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, helping you sleep better, keeping your brain in shape, and reducing feelings of depression and anxiety.
So, we’re starting a weekly column here, where HCSC editors dish what their favorite reads that week have been.
For the first week, we’re focusing on the author of the book Settle For More, topping the 2016 NY Times Best Sellers List under “nonfiction” at #6. After a whirlwind of a year, especially in regards to the 2016 elections, Megyn Kelly, former host of Fox News’s The Kelly File, and newest addition to NBC, shares the story of how she got to where she is today.
If you’re majoring in journalism, especially broadcast journalism, this is a must-read book. But, you can learn a lot from this book regardless of the major you’ve chosen.
Megyn Kelly grew up in a family that kept her ego in check, all thanks to her mom’s candor and the Kelly family motto to that everyone cannot be a winner.
Here are some of the best quotes from the book. But, only some; you’ll have to read Settle For More yourself to discover the rest for yourself.
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In Chapter 4, Kelly talks about her time at Albany Law School, the “Harvard of Albany.” As a student, Kelly worked hard to make the Moot court team, which was historically hard to do, especially for a second-year student like herself. After making the team, Kelly shared this quote, from Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t– you’re right.”
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After graduating law school, and attaining a job at Bickel & Brewer, a well-known law office in Chicago, Kelly found out some of the drawbacks to being an attorney, like maneuvering difficult office dilemmas. She shared this piece of advice with readers, “It’s important to build up your value. You need to make yourself indispensable in whatever post you have, whether it’s the cashier at the grocery store or a burger flipper at McDonald’s. The harder you work, the better attitude you have, the more your colleagues come to feel they need you, the greater job security you earn, and the more risks you can take.”
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The next quote, found on the first page of Chapter 9, is definitely relatable to those in their twenties. After realizing that being a lawyer did not offer her the same happiness and exhilaration it used to, Kelly decided to leave the law. She said, “The problem with an epiphany is that, no matter how big it is, you can’t necessarily change your life as soon as you have one.”
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This piece of advice is key for young graduates searching for jobs- it’s great for anyone who is unsure of their worth. After working her ass off, working part time as an attorney and building her reels to become a news anchor, Kelly was offered a job at Fox News. After telling her agent that she intended to negotiate her offer, he told her that she would never get it, “A million girls would kill for this job. Just take what they’re offering.” This is what Kelly wrote about that exchange:
“Well. As you might imagine, that pissed me off. I wasn’t a girl, first of all. And I wasn’t like a million others. This wasn’t some castingcouch moment where the ingenue is given a chance she has no business getting. I’d been a high-powered lawyer for a decade, on my feet arguing in front of juries and some of the best and brightest sharpest judges in the country. I’d also spent ten years working harder then just about anyone else they could possibly be considering- an ethic I would clearly bring with me.”
She told her agent to demand more, he told her she’d lose the offer, and she said, “Do it. If I lose it, I lose it.” Fox paid what she requested.
Those are only a couple of the quotes from the countless pages I doggy-eared for future references. I’d recommend this book to any woman just beginning her professional career, who yearns to have it all- whatever that may be. Give Settle For More a read, you won’t regret it.
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