How reading can enhance your career
We can all agree that reading is essential for your growth and overall wellbeing. However, I am currently coaching high school students and many admit to never reading except if they are forced to for school work. But can we blame them? We are constantly glued to our phone (yes, I appreciate the irony of me currently writing this on my phone!) with a plethora of vibrant entertainment at our fingertips.
While I think reading a book is much more rewarding you have to invest time and focus, two things in short supply these days. Growing up in a small village with no mobile phones, social media, or TV streaming, books were my saviour and I thank god every day that I didn’t have to deal with the daily pressure of unconscious phone addiction. There is nothing better than switching off your phone for an hour or two, grabbing something you’ve been dying to read – even if it’s a magazine or something other than “serious literature” (I have no time for book snobs!) – and forgetting about the world.
But aside from the break from the near-constant electronic bombardment, reading can truly enhance your career (and life) in these 3 ways:
1. Reading develops your empathy
By reading about the lives of different characters, especially when they go through challenges or have to make difficult decisions, you gain a greater understanding of human psychology and increase your empathy bank. This also increases your emotional intelligence and helps you interact with people in your professional life.
2. Reading reduces your stress
Stress is a silent killer and the effects are ignored by many of us. There is a fine line between positive and negative stress, but if it is causing you to have health issues you need to seriously reconsider how you are living your life. This is where reading can help. Research shows that even 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by 68%. Building a reading habit could benefit your health.
3. Reading improves your verbal communication skills
As you read you will learn new words and concepts and increase your verbal intelligence which will, in turn, make you a more effective communicator. Regardless of the industry, you are in, being a good communicator is key to your success within any organisation. As the old saying goes “leaders are readers” and you are doing yourself and your career a disservice by not dedicating time to reading.
If you are searching for reading inspiration then my absolute favourite book club is The Candid Bookclub (follow them on Instagram @thecandidbookclub). It was founded by 5 brilliant, friendly women who read everything from romance to classics to contemporary fiction. It is free to join and they have amazing Zoom events where they interview the author of the book they are currently reading. Joining a book club has been a wonderful way to make friends in my thirties.