THE 48 LAWS OF POWER; LAW NO.5

SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION -GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE; "Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them." ..... Robert Greene.

Reputation is an estimation in which a person or a thing is held especially by the community or public in general. According to Wikipedia; reputation may be considered as a component of identity as defined by others. These definitions of reputation buttresses the fact that how the general public perceives an entity goes a long way in determining his/her success.
Unlike the previous four  laws i have reviewed on this blog, this particular law has two cases and both illustrates the observance of the law. In the first case; during China’s War of the Three Kingdoms (A.D.207-265), General Liang was able to fool his rival Sima Yi simply by letting his track record for being an undefeated leader in battle do the work for him. Liang’s troops were far outnumbered by Sima Yi’s, yet he devised a clever last resort plan. Liang donned a Taoist robe and played the lute upon the wall of the city he was defending. His soldiers opened the gates and hid. When Sima Yi’s troops advanced upon the unguarded city, Yi recognized his opponent sitting alone upon the wall. Fearing a trap, Sima Yi called his soldiers to retreat. Going further we see P.T. Barnum, an expert at destroying his competitor’s reputation. He published letters in newspapers, warning the public against buying his opponent’s stock. He was a master at poking mockery at the tactics of his rivals.

The two cases illustrated the observance of the law in two dimensions as observed in Robert Greene's quote above. I see the issue of reputation as a necessary evil joined to morals and code of conduct. We often think it does not matter what people say about us but at the end it becomes necessary. Here are some wisdom nuggets that helps;

• Sow doubt and spread rumors about your rival. Even if they vehemently deny it, people will still be wondering why they are so defensive. 
• Use humor or gentle mockery at your rival’s expense.
• A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths without your having to spend much energy. 
• Never appear desperate in your self-defense against the slander of others. 
• Be careful not to go too far in attacking another’s reputation, it draws more attention to your vengefulness than to the person you are slandering. Use subtler tactics like satire and ridicule. 

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW NO.4

ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY; 'When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.' ..... Robert Greene.

In the book, we see as usual two cases illustrating the transgression and observance of the law. The case illustrating the transgression of the law is the story of Gnaeus Marcius also known as Coriolanus. He was a great military hero of ancient Rome. People held him in awe, until he opened his mouth. He spoke his mind, hardly able to control his arrogance and boastfulness. He slandered and insulted people. The more speeches he made, the less people respected him. He suffered the people’s wrath and was eventually banished from the city.  
In illustrating the observance of the law, we saw the story of masters of enigma; Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp. They knew the power of saying less and keeping people guessing. The less Duchamp talked about his work, the more it was talked about in the art circles. Andy Warhol recognized it was hard to talk people into doing what you wanted, so when interviewed, he would give vague and ambiguous answers and let the interviewer find his own interpretation. Also is the story of King Louis XIV who will sit quietly among nobles and ministers for days listening to arguments and analysis at his court. Louis will listen in silence wearing an enigmatic look on his face. When his nobles and minister are done with their presentations, on asking to know his opinion, he answers;"I shall see" and walk away.

The saying that goes thus; 'silence is good' is a reality. The human mind is often times preoccupied with so many unresolved issues, strategies, solutions, observations etc, this state in which the mind finds itself often demand calmness for good reasoning to ensue. Also, there is utmost need to engage more in listening than in talking all the time. We expose ourselves unnecessarily when we talk more than listening. Being silent and doing more of listening results in good reasoning that produces the best possible solutions to challenges.
These nuggets of wisdom can be of help:

• Saying less will keep you from saying something foolish or even dangerous. 
• Once the words are out you cannot take them back. 
•  Keeping silent makes people reveal more about themselves. This is information you may be able to use against them later on.  

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW NO.3

CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS; "Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late." .....Robert Greene

This law like the previous two i have reviewed also have two cases illustrating the transgression and observance of the law. We see the transgression of the law in the story of the Marquis de Sevigne, young and inexperienced in the art of love. He confided in the infamous courtesan of seventeenth-century France, Ninon de Lenclos, to instruct him on how to seduce a difficult young countess. She made him follow a plan over a number of weeks, where the Marquis would be appearing in public always surrounded by beautiful women, in the very places the countess would be expected to see him. He was supposed to assume an air of nonchalance. This increased the jealousy of the young countess, who was not sure of his interest in her. One day the Marquis, unable to control his passion, broke from Ninon’s plan, and blurted out to the countess that he loved her. After this admission, the countess no longer found him interesting and avoided him.
Regarding the observance of the law, we see the story of Otto von Bismarck, who was a deputy in the Prussian parliament at a time when many fellow deputies thought it was possible to go to war against Austria and defeat it. Bismarck knew the Prussian army was not prepared, so he devised a clever way to keep the war at bay. He publicly stated his praises for the Austrians and talked about the madness of war. Many deputies changed their votes. Had Bismarck announced his real intentions, arguing it was better to wait now and fight later, he would not have won. Most Prussians wanted to go to war at that moment and mistakenly believed their army to be superior to the Austrians. Had he gone to the king his sincerity would have been doubted. By giving misleading statements about wanting peace and concealing his true purpose, Bismarck’s speech catapulted him to the position of prime minister. He later led the country to war against the Austrians at the right time, when he felt the Prussian army was more capable.

There is a saying in Igbo language that goes thus;'Ka ima nkea, ima nke ozo? (the fact that you know one thing does not mean you know the others.' This saying is usually misunderstood to mean being smarter than the next man is the game but the fact remains that no one knows it all. For every problem, there are over seven (7) billion approaches to solving or countering the solution. Concealing intentions do not only keep enemies far from preparing their defense but also keeps friends in check. The human heart is so secretive and complicated, knowledge of some very key information by friends/team affect their sense of reasoning. If Marquis de Sevigne had kept his intention of seducing the young countess, she would have got so jealous to the point where his wish becomes a command to her. Unfortunately, his passion became uncontrollable, he split the beans and lost the chance. Bismarck on the other hand concealed his intention using a smoke screen with false sincerity to postpone the war for a time when the Perussian army would be able to defeat the Austrian army. He succeeded and was promoted. This law so far remains a very vital law for all humans whether in power or not. These nuggets of wisdom can come in handy;

• Use decoyed objects of desire and red herrings to throw people off scent. 
• Use smoke screens (a poker face) to disguise your actions.
• False sincerity is one powerful tool that will send your rivals on a wild goose chase. 
• Publicly declare your false intentions to give misleading signals. 
• A noble gesture can be a smoke screen to hide your true intentions. 
• Blend in and people will be less suspicious. 

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW NO.2

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW NO.2: NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO USE ENEMIES; 'Be wary of friends- they will betray you more quickly, for they are eas...

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW NO.2

NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO USE ENEMIES; 'Be wary of friends- they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them." .......Robert Greene

In this book of discuss, again there are two cases illustrating the transgression and observance of this law. The transgression of the law was seen in the story of Michael III of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-ninth century A.D., he placed too much trust in his friend, Basilius. This was a young man who had once saved his life, and in return, was given all the privileges an emperor could bestow on a friend. Michael turned the peasant Basilius into a sophisticated and educated courtier. Basilius later on became greedy for more wealth and power and had his former benefactor and best friend Michael III murdered. While the case regarding the observance of the law was the story of Emperor Sung of China in 959 A.D., he was able to turn all his enemies into loyal friends. He persuaded his generals to retire to a life of nobility and give up their dreams of grabbing his throne one day. He spared those who conspired against him, and was able to win over enemies with his generosity.   

I go with the saying that goes thus; "what are friends for if not for inconveniences." this saying has been my guide in my day to day dealings with friends. In as much as we often times lose track of the essence of friendship, i must say at this point that human nature is designed to cater for self first before any other person and this is resultant in the outcomes of various friendships.  In the case of Michael III, he ignored the fact that his friend Basilius is a different individual, who thinks differently with a different dream, aspiration and approach to solving problems. This ignorance led to him arming his friend with the weapon with which he was murdered. The story would have been different if Basilius became loyal and took bullets in Michael's place, again i ask; what law would his action be observing? On the other hand, Emperor Sung of China approached his enemies with the 'Self First' principle. I believe he must have thought through to realize that  going by Maslow's hierarchy of needs, men aim for the top of the pyramid which is 'self-actualization.'
He therefore persuaded his generals to retire to a life of nobility rather than pursue their dreams of grabbing his throne one day. He gave them a big lift to the top of the pyramid, thereby saving his throne from many invaders and at the same time satisfying the innate desires of his generals which is retirement to a life of nobility. Regarding the few that conspired against him, he made friends with them.

Friends and foes are terminologies and not human, the earlier we understand that the human nature knows no friend or foe but 'self-interest' the better we handle our dealings with the next person. This law therefore demands that;

• Do not rely on friends. They will never be totally honest with you. They will not openly disagree with you in order to avoid arguments. 
• Enemies expect nothing so they will be surprised when you are generous. 
• An enemy spared the guillotine will be more grateful to you than a friend. 
• When you decide to hire a friend you will discover qualities she has kept hidden.
• Skill and competence are more important than friendly feelings. 
• Hiring friends will limit your power.
• All working situations require a kind of distance between people. 
• You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him. 
• An enemy at your heels keeps you sharp, alert, and focused.  
 

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW 1(MY VIEW)

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW 1(MY VIEW): Law No.1: NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER; 'Always make those above you feel comfortably superior: In your desire to please and impress t...

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER: LAW 1(MY VIEW)

Law No.1: NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER; 'Always make those above you feel comfortably superior: In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite -inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.'

In this popular book, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, the law no.1 states as follows; "Never outshine the master", going further we see two cases cited in the book in which one illustrates the transgression of the law while the other illustrates the observance of the law. Finance Minister Fouquet threw a lavish party showcasing his connections, cultivated manner and charm, all in a bid to impress his master King Louis XIV but in return bruised his master's ego and that emanated in his master getting rid of him. In the second case we see Galileo in a bid to solve his perennial problem of funding dedicated his discovery of the moons of Jupiter to the Medicis, since the royal symbol of the Medici family was the planet Jupiter. He went further to commission an emblem for them, with each moon representing one of the sons who revolved around the patriarch. The Medici family became his major patron, appointing him their official court mathematician and philosopher, thereby giving him a more comfortable life and a steady salary.   

It must be of note that the crops of the matter lies in 'interest', be it selfish, personal, noble or heroic. The two cases are hinged on the personal interest of the key characters and their approach towards actualizing their dream. It goes further to display the individual differences in human nature. Galileo used the power of appreciation, giving with a cute sense of loyalty while Finance Minister Fouquet used the power of logic. By this i mean; he(Fouquet) believed that the show of his connection, cultivated manner and charm will make a lasting impression on his master and in effect win his heart. Unfortunately, he accomplished the opposite thereby igniting fear and insecurity in his master. 

My question therefore is; what if his master was impressed, which law would his actions be observing? It all boils down to the simple and universal fact which is that man makes law to suit himself regarding time and setting and regardless of the unforeseen. So in dealing with the next person be it the master or subordinate there is need to apply wisdom and patience. With an understanding that what works for Mr. A could be a wrong move for Mr.B then these nuggets of wisdom could be applicable;

• Present your ideas in such a manner that they may be ascribed to your master, or could be viewed as an echo of your master’s thoughts. 
• If you are more intelligent than your master, act as if you are not. 
• Never take your position for granted.
• Never let favors you receive go to your head. 
• Discreet flattery is much more powerful. Make it seem like you want to seek his expertise and advice. 

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : BUILDING A READING CULTURE

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : BUILDING A READING CULTURE: ‘If children are to become lifetime consumers of books then their own reading preferences  must be known and accepted and used as the basis...

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : BUILDING A READING CULTURE

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : BUILDING A READING CULTURE: ‘If children are to become lifetime consumers of books then their own reading preferences  must be known and accepted and used as the basis...

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : WHAT IS LITERATURE

REFLECTIONS OF ADA : WHAT IS LITERATURE: According to Wikipedia; Literature remains a term that does not have a universally accepted definition. It variably includes all writ...

WHAT IS LITERATURE

According to Wikipedia; Literature remains a term that does not have a universally accepted definition. It variably includes all written works; writing that possesses literary merit; and language that foregrounds literariness, as opposed to ordinary language.
Etymologically, the term literature is derived from the Latin word literatura/ litteratura "writing with letters." Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and whether it is poetry or prose. It can also be distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short-story or drama; and literary works are often categorized according to historical period or according to their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectation.

Taken to mean only written works, literature was first produced by some of the world's earliest civilizations—those of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria—as early as the 4th millennium BC; taken to include spoken or sung texts, it originated even earlier, and some of the first written works may have been based on an already-existing oral tradition. As urban cultures and societies developed, there was a proliferation in the forms of literature. Developments in print technology allowed for literature to be distributed and experienced on an unprecedented scale. There are three genres of literature namely; prose, poetry and drama.
PROSE: Prose is a form of language that possesses ordinary syntax and natural speech rather than rhythmic structure. Prose can come in the form of a novel, novella or a short-story.
POETRY: Poetry is a genre of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, prosaic ostensible meaning. Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being set in verse. Prose is cast in sentences while poetry in lines. The syntax of prose is dictated by meaning whereas that of poetry is held across meter or the visual aspects of the poem.
DRAMA: Drama is a classical literary genre that has continued to evolve over the years. It generally comprises chiefly of dialogue between characters, and usually aims at dramatic/theatrical performance rather than reading 

BUILDING A READING CULTURE

‘If children are to become lifetime consumers of books then their own reading preferences must be known and accepted and used as the basis for encouragement. They need reader role models, easy access to books in a wide variety of styles and genres, and 
recommendations personally tailored to them.’ – Claire Senior



Research for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has found that ‘Students who read well tend to be active readers. They gain in terms of both motivation and experience from reading regularly outside the context of schoolwork…The results show how important it is not just to teach students 
to read but to engage them in reading as part of their lives.’1. These findings have been replicated 
many times across various studies. The amount of free reading done outside school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and 
levels of general knowledge. ‘In other words, how well children read is related to how much they read.
’2. Practicing reading improves skill levels and improved reading ability assists and extends learning in many 
other areas. To ensure that reading becomes a regular activity in students’ lives, schools need to find ways 
to increase the level of engagement experienced by students. Schools can do this by offering students:

• a wide and varied choice of reading materials, 
• time to read for pleasure,
• welcoming, student-centered reading spaces,
• assistance in finding the right book at the right time, and
• opportunities to talk and think about what they have read.

HOW TO ENJOY READING

About 95% of the children in the around the world play video games, watch TV, chat with their friends or play on the computer, but only 5% of the children tend to enjoy reading. Here are some ways to enjoy reading.

1. Don't force yourself into it (that might be hard if you have a book for school).This is the number one most important step. Enjoying reading doesn't mean forcing yourself to read. Read the book because you want to, not because you have to.
2. Choose the right book. Many people enjoy many different types of books. Just because you don't like one genre, don't write off reading all together. Just try another type. Ask your teachers, parents, or friends for recommendations.

1. Look into game books if you don't like reading a book from start to finish.
2. Look into audio books if you can't find the time or want to listen after dark in bed. 
3. Establish your purpose. You'll have a hard time hitting a target that you're blind to.
   1. An example of a good purpose is, "Experience this character's feelings during the course of this book" or "Figure out exactly what I don't know about this subject."
   2. Setting a purpose "activates" your brain. When you have a clear purpose, your brain searches for all the references and ideas it can that will help you achieve your purpose.
4. Find a small place where you can set up your reading center. Make sure it's comfortable and has good lighting. A small table nearby is handy. You can even add a small box full of book favorites by the couch.
5. If you think you are not enjoying a book that you have picked stop reading it, because if you keep on at it, it will put you off reading. Try a different book that you might enjoy more. If you found it boring because it was too hard try a easier one.
6. Imagine in your mind the setting of what you're reading. If you are reading something like the "The Clique," imagine what the characters are feeling.
7. Imagine what would happen in the situation if you were there. If Junie B. Jones was making mischief, would you make the situation brighter or dimmer?
8. Visualize the characters. Your version doesn't have to match what the author describes exactly, and it's okay if they have the face of somebody you know.
9. Put yourself in the main character's shoes. Example: In that situation, I would... If you remember a similar situation think about what you did in it, and compare to a character's decision
10. Pace yourself. Don't rush to get through the book. Take your time. Read slowly and carefully. If you get bored, don't force yourself to keep going. Get up and do something else for about 30 minutes, then go back to the book.

COMPONENTS OF READING

Reading is an astoundingly complex cognitive process. While we often think of reading as one singular act, our brains are actually engaging in a number of tasks simultaneously each time we sit down with a book. There are five aspects to the process of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency. These five aspects work together to create the reading experience. As children learn to read they must develop skills in all five of these areas in order to become successful readers.

Phonics (view articles about Phonics)

Phonics is the connection between sounds and letter symbols. It is also the combination of these sound-symbol connections to create words. Without phonics, words are simply a bunch of squiggles and lines on a page. If you think about it, letters are arbitrary. There is nothing innately bed-like about the written word “bed”. It is simply the collection of letters and corresponding sounds that we agree constitute the word “bed”. Learning to make that connection between the individual sounds that each letter represents and then putting those together is essential to understanding what that funny squiggle means.

There are a number of ways that phonics can be taught because there is a variety of ways to apply this aspect when reading. Each approach allows the reader to use phonics to read and learn new words in a different way. Synthetic phonics builds words from the ground up. In this approach readers are taught to first connect letters to their corresponding phonemes (sound units) and then to blend those together to create a word. Analytic phonics, on the other hand, approaches words from the top down. A word is identified as a whole unit and then its letter-sound connections are parsed out. Analogy phonics uses familiar parts of words to discover new words. Finally, phonics through spelling focuses on connecting sounds with letters in writing. All of these approaches can be taught and used independently or in combination to help young readers learn to identify new words.

Phonemic Awareness (view articles about Phonemic Awareness)

Phonemic awareness is closely related to phonics because both involve the connection between sounds and words. While phonics is the connection between sounds and letters, phonemic awareness is the understanding that words are created from phonemes (small units of sound in language). These may seem like the same thing, but there is a subtle difference in the two. Phonics is used only in written language because it involves letters. Phonemes are sounds only. While they can be represented using letters, they can also be simply the auditory sounds of words. Phonemes are most often learned before a child begins to read because they are centered on the sounds of language rather than written words.

Just like phonics, phonemic awareness can be taught and used in a number of ways. Phoneme isolation involves the reader parsing out the individual sounds in a word in order to determine its meaning. Similarly, phoneme segmentation asks the reader to break words into their corresponding phonemes (which may involve one or more individual sounds) to figure out the new word. Both of these approaches are very similar to synthetic phonics. Phoneme identification relies on the reader’s general knowledge of phonemes (usually developed through speaking) to identify sound patterns in words. For example a reader would identify the phoneme /d/ he knows from the words “dog” and “dad” to help him learn how to read a new word “doctor”. Finally, phoneme blending requires the reader to connect a series of phonemes together to create a word. This strategy is always used in conjunction with one of the others.

Vocabulary (view articles about Vocabulary)

In order to read words we must first know them. Imagine how frustrating and fruitless it would be to read this article if all of the words were unfamiliar to you. As children become stronger, more advanced readers they not only learn to connect their oral vocabularies (the words we know when they are spoken) to their reading vocabularies (the words we know when they are used in print) they also strengthen each of these areas by adding new words to their repertoires. Vocabulary development is an ongoing process that continues throughout one’s “reading life”.

There are two primary ways of teaching and learning new vocabulary words. The first is explicit instruction. This involves someone telling you how a word is pronounced and what its meaning is. That “someone” might be a teacher, a dictionary, a vocabulary guide or any other resource offering definitions and pronunciations. Context clues provide another method for discovering new words. Context clues are the “hints” contained in a text that help a reader figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. They include other words in a sentence or paragraph, text features (ie. bold print, italics), illustrations, graphs and charts. Context clues are basically any item in the text that points to the definition of a new word.

Fluency (view articles about Fluency)

Fluency is a reader’s ability to read with speed, accuracy and expression. Thus it requires him to combine and use multiple reading skills at the same time. While fluency is most often measured through oral readings, good readers also exhibit this skill when they are reading silently. Think about the way a book “sounds” in your mind when you are reading silently. You “hear” the characters “speak” with expression. Even passages that are not written in dialogue “sound” as if the words fit the meaning. A particularly suspenseful action sequence moves quickly through your mind creating a palpable sense of tension. Your ability to move through a piece of text at a fluid pace while evoking the meaning and feeling of it demonstrates your fluency.

Fluency is intimately tied to comprehension. A reader must be able to move quickly enough through a text to develop meaning. If he is bogged down reading each individual word, he is not able to create an overall picture in his mind of what the text is saying. Even if the reader is able to move rapidly through a text, if she cannot master the expression associated with the words, the meaning of it will be lost.

Reading Comprehension (view articles about Reading Comprehension)

Comprehension is what most people think reading is. This is because comprehension is the main reason why we read. It is the aspect of reading that all of the others serve to create. Reading comprehension is understanding what a text is all about. It is more than just understanding words in isolation. It is putting them together and using prior knowledge to develop meaning.

Reading comprehension is the most complex aspect of reading. It not only involves all of the other four aspects of reading, it also requires the reader to draw upon general thinking skills. When a reader is actively engaged with a text, she is asking and answering questions about the story and summarizing what she has read. Like vocabulary, reading comprehension skills develop and improve over time through instruction and practice.

The Importance of Reading

  

The joy of reading books can't be described in words. It's something that you can understand only by actual experience.

There is much more to life than your work and spending time aimlessly with latest technology products. Reading books gives you that much needed break from the chaos in your life. It instills peace inside you, makes you relaxed and also exercises your brain in the process.

When you read a book, it feels great to put yourself into a different world that the writer has created for you. Ask any avid reader about this and they too will agree that reading a book is same like watching a movie.

When you spend hours and hours reading a book, creating a world with different characters in your mind, your imagination powers are sure to get a boost. Depending upon what you read, you will come out with the same experience as when you watch some really good movie.

I have been a voracious reader ever since I learned how to read. That's why I never get bored even being alone for a long time. I have found that reading books is the best medicine to kill boredom.

What starts with reading story books, when you are a kid, turns into reading books for improving yourself as you grow older. From story books -> technical & management books -> self improvement -> spirituality and beyond, the journey is fantastic and you learn something with each passing day. 

You understand your thoughts and emotions more clearly. It makes you realize who you really are and makes your life more meaningful.Reading books will make you a better thinker and a better man. 

Thanks to technology you can easily find good articles to read on the internet. A great article can inspire and motivate you as much as a great book. It's not how much you read, but what you read which is more important.

Just reading good books is not enough. The way you read it is more important. When you come across a new idea or a different opinion, think upon it deeply. Don't accept it or reject it blindly. Try to reason with it and understand the writer's point of view.

Reflect upon the thoughts that come to your mind whenever you read a great book. You will know whether a book is great or not based on the thoughts it awakens inside you.

As you continue this habit of reading and reflecting on what you read, you will start forming your own thoughts and values. It will challenge your mind and the thoughts, customs and traditions that you have grown up with.

It's easy to get so much involved in the reading process, that you forget that the main purpose of reading is to make you a better person which can only happen when you act upon it. Just finishing one book after another without any real action from your side won't help you.

What kind of person you want to be and what you would ultimately become depend greatly upon the type of content that you read and how much you act upon them.

Reading articles that promote negativity, hatred and give wrong information is dangerous. It's better to not read anything at all than read such articles.

Whether you read on some electronic device or prefer reading an actual book. That's your personal choice. Personally, I prefer to read actual books whenever possible. I find that even after hours of reading my eyes feel fresh and full of energy. That's something I don't find when I read too much on my computer.

Before ending this article, I would like to summarize few important points and also suggest some Dos and Don'ts of reading:

• Always read your content from a safe distance. Neither too close to your eyes neither too far away from your eyes.
• Always prefer quality over quantity. Better to read one great book than hundred mediocre ones.
• Understand properly what you have read and reflect upon it.
• Don't accept anything blindly that you read, but think for yourself and try to understand the reason behind what's been written.
• Bookmark interesting pages for future references. You never know when you will need them.
• Sometimes it takes more than one reading to fully grasp some thing. Don't be disappointed if you don't understand a book in one reading. Maybe when you come back to it the next time, you will get it.
• Focus completely on what you are reading. Don't think about other stuff while reading.
• If possible, create a favorite spot in your house for reading books. You will feel more relaxed whenever you are there.
• And above all, enjoy your reading experience.

The habit of reading good content daily will act like an exercise for your mind and keep you mentally fit and flexible. If you have never given it a try then always remember that it's never too late to start a good habit.