Reading is a pastime that many love. There are thousands of books for everyone, and whether you are a casual reader, a die-hard book nerd or not a reader at all, there are many lessons you can learn from reading.
In 2021, I decided to read at least 50 books for that year, and I ended up going over by reading 55 entire novels. This was not my first time completing this challenge; however, it was my first time since entering college. From this, I learned a lot about myself and things I believe can benefit others from realizing as well from reading.
- Valuing “me time”
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One of the first lessons I quickly learned is how to value “me time.” A lot of the time in my day-to-day life, I am surrounded by people and work to the point where it is hard to even have five minutes to myself. From having such a big reading goal, I started picking up a novel an hour a night before bed. This allowed me to learn the value of taking time for myself at the end of the day to do something I enjoy and truly destress from the day.
- Learning how to say no
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Taking the last hour of the day to myself has allowed me to truly appreciate saying no and eliminating the guilt that follows saying no. Many times, I say yes to anything and everything, even if I really have no interest in doing it. Truly taking that last hour for myself and my novels allowed me to see the true value of the word no and that there is no issue with using it.
- The value of privacy
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With the lessons of both learning to say no and value my alone time, that has developed into the love for privacy and truly valuing it. Privacy is a time for me to be the real me and not have to worry about work or what other people think. It is a time when I can focus on myself, and reading is something that allows me to do that. While being the main character and reading in public can be fun, it is often distracting if someone disrupts you. The value of privacy is something I never truly thought about until I took those hours to myself to read uninterrupted for an entire hour or more.
- Discovering myself
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Overall, taking so much time to read and focus on my love for books has allowed me to discover myself and really focus on myself. The story I read helped me develop and grow as a person and develop empathy for others in every situation. The lessons learned through taking these hours for myself and immersing myself in other stories helped me truly understand who I am as a person through other stories.
Reading is a pastime that can be done by anyone. There are so many things to be learned through novels that not only go to life lessons but also who you are as a person. I truly believe there is a book out there for everyone, even if you haven’t read a book since middle school.