Make reading a daily habit
EVERYBODY should follow some kind of a hobby or the other. Hobbies are necessary as it makes one busy and free minded.
It never leaves us alone and also eliminates stress and overcomes psychological problems. Hobbies are our daily life activities which we must follow. It helps us to escape from the daily chores of life.
Hobbies give us immense pleasure and peace of mind. It is like yoga and meditation and even benefits more than that. It draws our mind towards creativity and promotes us to do something better in life.
Good hobbies dramatically improve our personality and character traits as well as improve our performance. It helps us in discovering our talents and abilities and uses them in the right direction. Our hobbies make our minds fresh and peaceful by keeping us away from the daily rush of life. My hobby is reading.
I like to read a lot of books — be it a newspaper, a magazine, a novel or a GK book. I always read story books, newspapers, magazines, comic strips and other material that I find interesting. I also like writing. This hobby of reading books was first introduced to me by my dad when I was just seven years old.
Now I am 63 years old and I really know the benefits of my reading habit. It enables me to gain all the general knowledge in the world.
This habit of reading makes me learn about the world wonders, history of origin of life, space, animals, plants, aquatic animals, human achievements, and other fascinating facts about world. Reading is a good source of enjoyment, knowledge, inspiration and instruction.
It makes us disciplined, loyal, punctual and most importantly a successful person in life. The habit of reading books can be acquired at a young age by anyone and everyone. So don’t waste your time. Develop the habit of reading today.
‘The Best Proverbs & Quotes’ is a book authored by me for Saint Paul’s Publications, Bandra, Mumbai in the ‘Better Yourself Book’ series. It is a delightful book with lots of phenomenal thoughts from great personalities.
The thoughts in this book are based on failure, success, philosophy, education, economics and finance, forgiveness, fame and fortune, leadership, etc. The thoughts are truly inspirational and are so powerful that they can have the ability to change a reader’s way of thinking.
The thoughts are effective mostly when one is entangled in a problem, as they provide confidence and aspiration to the soul.
Some of the great personalities whose quotations are featured in this book are of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alexandre Dumas, George Bernard Shaw, Alexander Pope, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Swami Chinmayananda, Oscar Wilde, Mother Teresa, Thomas Alva Edison and William Shakespeare, to name a few.
One of my favourite quotes featured in this book is the one that is related to books. It says: “Books to the ceiling, books to the sky, my pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them, How I read them, I will have a long beard by the time I read them all.” This splendid thought by Arnold Lobel shows his love and devotion towards his books.
Another famous quote on books in this book is “Books are the food of youth, delight of old age, ornaments of prosperity, refuge and comfort of adversity, a delight at home, and a companion in travelling.” The quotation is by Marcus Tullius Cicero.
Then there are also many proverbs featured in this book from all over the world like “After dark, all cats are leopards”, “To live long, eat like a cat and drink like a dog”, “To play with a cat, you must not mind her scratch”, “Those who dislike cats, will be carried to the cemetery in the rain”, “An old cat will never learn to dance”, “When elephants fight, the grass dies”, “Saint abroad, devil at home” and “Where God has His Church, the devil will have his chapel.” This book is a ‘must’ for every individual whether in school or in college, employed or unemployed.
Anybody with a story to tell can write a book — either for their own enjoyment or to publish for all to see (and hopefully buy).
If you find yourself weaving creative narratives in your head as you read your favourite novels, or when you are relaxing in the park, consider writing your stories down. Although it may seem daunting, you can do it. Also, take some time, sit around, and just think about what people like to read.
Ask your friends and maybe you can come up with an amazing story. Here are two more quotations on books by Neil Gaiman and Marcus Tullius Cicero. (1). A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. (2). A room without books is like a body without a soul.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Mumbai, India
