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How to read self-help
Self-help through the wisdom lens
The purpose of self-help is to acquire wisdom. Self-help books are filled with wisdom.
It embarrasses us because it's full of easy truisms. We like it because it makes sense. It's trivial to read but nearly impossible to put into practice. That is why we feel so inspired when reading about it.
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Key Ideas
Reading in the digital age
Online life makes us into a new kind of reader: Our attention fractures. Online reading is about clicks, and comments, and points.
The opposite of the traditional reading experience, with lineal structure, that demands our full attention.
Cynical Readers
We have become cynical readers – we read in the disjointed, goal-oriented way that online life encourages & we stop exercising our attention.
We read just as much if not more. We live in a text-gorged society in which the most fleeting thought is a thumb-dash away from posterity. It's how we read that changed.
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Key Ideas
Success And Buying Too Many Books
Many of us buy lots of books that go unread and causes us guilt, but that’s a habit that many successful people have they believe they are better off for it.
For those who actually put in the time to read and learn how to learn, a pile of unread books may actually be a sign of intelligence rather than the lack of it.
View Books As An Experiment
It costs you money and time, but it may pay for itself by changing your life for the better. It’s an experiment. And the more “smart” experiments you perform, the more likely you are to find a breakthrough experiment that changes everything.
Inherent in being a good experimenter is being OK with the losses. Therefore, remember that every time you purchase a book that turns out to be a dud, you are just one step closer to a book that will change your life.
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Key Ideas
Warren Buffett
Learning constantly
To get better results in life you need to learn constantly. And the best way to learn is to read effectively and a lot.
Upgrading your brain
A new idea, outlook on life, mental model, is all it takes for something to click inside your brain.
Your brain will start making connections between books that seemed to be on different topics. The more you read, the more links you form and the richer your understanding becomes.