The Reader's Edge

“If you read a book a week, in a year you’ll have read 52 books. In ten years 520 books. You’ll be in the top 1% of your field. You’ll be more motivated, better educated; you’ll become the leader in your field.”

-Jim Rohn

If an employer has a choice to hire 1 out of 2 exact same people only one read 1 self-improvement book while the other didn't. Which person is most likely to be hired?

The value of a book is difficult to quantify however we instinctively know that the person who reads has "something" over non-readers. 

While reading can be an advantage, it means very little if there's no way to market it. Nobody knows which book you've read simply by looking at you. We've got to build ourselves a brand to better sell the idea that we're someone that spend a great deal of our time honing our skills. We need ways to stand out, communicate our ideas clearly, be bold.

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

-Chinese Proverb

Don’t Workout Too Much

I workout for 1-2 hours every day and one of the comments I get is that I “shouldn’t overdue it”. 

Question: Is working out 1-2 hours a day, out of 24 hours, overdoing it?

As a woodcutter, my grandfather would wakeup at 4am to cut wood until 12PM after which he would come home to work at his farm for another couple of hours. 
Professional Basketball player, LeBron James, shows up to a game 8 hours early to warmup and prepare for the game.

Has anyone ever told them that they’re overdoing it?

Am I overdoing it?

The body was designed to move. Often, the problem isn’t that we’re over extending ourselves but that we’re not moving enough. We live in a society where it’s possible to sit for extended periods of time every day. We don’t move as much as we used to.

“Strength really is a buffer to mortality, and more importantly, it extends your health span, so you can maintain a higher quality of life longer.”
-John Nagy

While I may be overdoing it compared to the person voicing their concerns, who hasn’t worked-out in months, I’m certainly not overdoing it compared to my ancestors or professional athletes-I’m well within safe limits.

Not The Relationship I Want

For every successful marriage I've seen, I found 9 that were unsuccessful. While they may not of given up on the vow, they've given up on trying to find happiness within it. Instead of spending time growing closer together they looked for flaws in each other with the aim to change them which created, over time, resentment rather than love.

"Human nature dictates that angriness, boredom and/or irritation will end any relationship given enough time."
-unknown

These bad relationships, filled with daily torture sessions, brings out the worse version of those involved. How can you possibly find happiness when there's frequent negativity in the home?

"Success in marriage is more than finding the right person; it is being the right person."

-Robert Browning

Choosing who to marry is the most important decision in life but we have to keep in mind that the only person we have control over is ourselves. Many will say that relationships have to be 50/50 but why not give it your 100%? It's not about what your partner can do for you but what you can do for them. Some days, you may not be able to give more than 20% but maybe they'll be able to compensate by giving 60%. The point here is, of course, not to do things solely to get even; Do what is necessary regardless of "who's turn" it is.

"If you are not honest with yourself, you will not be capable of honesty with others. Self-deception is the enemy of relationships. It also undermines personal growth. If a person does not admit his shortcomings, he cannot improve." 

-John C. Maxwell

The below are book recommendation for those wanting to be better partners to their spouse.

• "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman
• "Personality Plus" by Florence Littauer
• "His needs her needs" by Willard F. Harley
• "The 5 Language of Apology" by Gary Chapman

"Unspoken assumptions and unexpressed expectations are common relationship “deal-breakers. But when you are willing to learn to express yourself by clarifying assumptions and expectations you will find more happiness and less stress in your relationships."

-Sarah Zink

Bread Isn't the Issue

A friend of mine has been told that he needs to lower his bread/potatoes/pasta (carb...) consumption in order to help manage his weight and sugars. While removing carbs from your diet certainly will help with weight management, the issue with the amount of bread we're eating but that the consumption is higher than the body is able to process.

But I DO exercise...

Some will argue that they do exercise. They run errands, mow the lawn or do chores around the house... That should be enough right? Well that depends: Do you have weight related problems? Belly fat, high cholesterol/blood pressure (...)those are the hard data. If your body mass index is too high (fat), then what you're doing isn't enough.

Carbs isn't poisonous...

It's all about balance. If you exercise a lot, then you're burning more carbs and can therefor allow yourself to consume more. If you have a sedentary lifestyle then you need to eat less. Your carb consumption needs to match your lifestyle failure to do so can cause problems at either extremes.

Social Media Feeds Our Desires But Is Ultimately Empty

“We love the life stories of other people, and cannot be sated with too much such detail. Gossip is the means by which we learn and shape our social network.”

-Edward O. Wilson

Part of the reason why social media is so popular is because it feeds into our desire to learn about other people’s lives. The issue, however, is the lives presented to us are artificial which creates a superficial, often unfulfilling, social network.

Richard Reeves, from the below video, explains that loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We've never been as connected as we are today yet we are as alone as we've ever been.

For 2025, make it a goal to meet some old friends or get to know new people.