FROM THE CEO: Why What You're Reading Matters

Have you ever read someone’s bio on a blog or website and it says they love one of those very vague hobbies like running (or long walks on the beach), talking (please, who doesn’t) or reading?

When asked, people report that reading is their number one hobby. I’m here to tell you that well over half of those people probably haven’t read a book since they were in high school, and even then, they probably lied about reading it.

I was recently asked in a class what the last book I read that wasn’t school-related was. I’m not here to tell you that I read all the latest featured books at Target, or that I always read my textbook before class, or that I’m a self-proclaimed book nerd. What I am here to tell you is that reading is important. And what’s even more important is WHAT you’re reading.

My answer to the question above was The Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin. This book managed to make it on to my 2013 Christmas list, and alas, was delivered in my stocking. It’s a unique take on what makes you an integral part of whatever you’re involved in. What makes you irreplaceable? Why would you boss, if given the opportunity, replace you for someone cheaper or better at your craft? 

When I read, I try to remember that someone thought this book was important. It was important enough to write, edit and publish. They felt that what they had to say was important, and I should at least give them that accolade. Now, it may not be important to me, or at least not at this point in my life, but to someone, that book is a GREAT book.

Reading is shown to give you a myriad of benefits. These benefits can include brain health, vocabulary expansion, concentration, and entertainment. There are also professional benefits, such as giving you new perspectives, new or current topics to make small talk about, and maybe even a smashing answer to that terrifying question: “What was the last non-school related book you read?”

Today, I challenge you to get a book. Check it out at a library, order it on Amazon, pick it up off your bookshelf—and read it. Read a page, read a chapter, read the whole thing, I don’t care. Just read it! Read something that you care about, that you can learn from, or something that will widen your perspectives. Writing is one of the most common ways a person will communicate with a mass audience. If that's the only way you're going to truly understand someone, you should probably start reading.

Are you in need of some suggestions? Here are five that are either on my bookshelf or in my Amazon wishlist: 

1. The Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
2. Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose 
3. Keep It Shut Study Guide: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing At All
4. Contagious: Why Things Catch On
5. Confessions of an Advertising Man

-D

Daltyn Little, CEO |  Daltyn is a senior at Grand Valley State University, sporting a major in Advertising and Public Relations paired with a language emphasis in Italian. Prior to her promotion to CEO, she served as an Account Associate and Account Executive for GrandPR during the 2013-14 school year.  She has a passion for anything unique, colorful, and creative.  She loves to explain, to describe, to host, and to write.  She is generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in any situation.  Her public relations passion resides in non-profits.  Her top five strengths, according to the Clifton StrengthsFinder are Developer, Communication, Positivity, Includer, and Maximizer.