Why?
This blog is all about reading more books. The Read More Warrior wants you to read more books and he will do anything in his power to help you with HOW to read more books. Nevertheless, it is first important to know WHY you would want to read more books. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This blog focuses mostly on non-fiction books, but some of the same principles will also apply to fiction books.
1. Books can change your life
From my experience books can really change your life. You have probably heard these words “change your life” a lot these days from self-improvement gurus. They use it often as clickbait and I confess that I’ve used it also here in this blog post. Nevertheless, there is some truth in it. I can honestly say that several books changed my life, in small and big ways. In this blog, I’ll share with you how different books impacted my life.
2. Books are the perfect mentors
I often have the feeling that I miss some kind of mentor in my life. When I hear stories about the relationship between apprentice and mentor like Alexander the Great and Aristotle, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud or Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene, I have to confess I feel some jealousy. If you’re like me and you want a mentor but you can’t seem to find one, read books. You can see the books you read as your mentors. When you apply the concepts that you read in books, you learn from the experiences of the writer.
3. Reading books is a productive kind of leisure
I’ve always had a craving for more information. Curiosity is a very important human trait, but I’m convinced that I used it the wrong way for a long time. My leisure consisted mostly of checking social media, reading magazines, and watching YouTube. These triggered my curiosity very much because there was a continuous supply of new, attractive information. On the contrary reading books seemed like work that required a lot of effort.
The problem with social media, magazines, and YouTube is that there is often little depth in the information. Because of that, I forgot like 99% of what I had read or watched while feeling that I was learning something. Books form a solution because they often go very detailed into one specific topic. You can see them as the “specialists” of the information world. Social media, magazines, and YouTube on the other hand can be seen as the “generalists” of the information world. Because books are specialized and have a lot of stories to back up the same concept or argument, the central message is in my opinion unforgettable. A book called Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport helped me to make this transition from watching Youtube to reading books
4. Books help with choosing a gift
When you become known in your inner circle as someone who reads a lot of books, it will be very easy for others and for you to choose a gift. Just ask them the give you a book! I always have a list of books that I would like to read and when someone asks me what I want for Christmas (All I want for Christmas is youuuuuuu babyyyy 
) or my birthday I will send them this list.
It also works the other way around. When you read a lot of books you’ll often have the feeling: “This book would be perfect for my sister/friend/dad/….” Now you know what you will give them as a present for Christmas, their birthday or just randomly because you like them.
5. When there's a natural disaster you at least have something to keep warm
One of the few scenes of the film “The Day After Tomorrow” by Roland Emmerich which I can remember is the one in which they decide to burn the books of the library to keep warm. Please keep your good books and only burn the bad ones. I’m not responsible for any damage! And if you only read on your e-reader, well you might have cold toes during a natural disaster.
Your Turn
Think of your own reason to read more books. Write it down clearly and beautifully on a small card which you can place on your nightstand, or close to your reading chair. It can also act as your cue for your reading habit. For more information on habits, read the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.
