Actionable Reading

I’ve always wondered how many people who follow my website go out and apply what they’ve read here.

I’m willing to bet there are hundreds of thousands all over the world who spend hours each day reading self-improvement and business books without actually implementing anything they’ve “learned”. Just as quickly as they close the last book, they reach for another and continue chasing that perpetual high of learning without doing.

Many of the smartest people I know read often and I’m a big fan of reading as well, but there’s a significant difference between reading and implementing vs. continuously reading without taking action.

The latter is a fairly easy way to feel productive without actually being productive.

It’s a tragedy when you don’t take advantage of the new wealth of knowledge you’ve soaked up after reading books that are meant to inspire action.

The Four Hour Workweek is what fed my curiosity and opened my mind to the world of location independence, eventually leading to my first location independent job and the founding my own business.

After reading Built to Sell, I used one of the tips within a week of finishing the book and its led to a rather large amount of revenue for my business that continues to pay off today.

Virtual Freedom helped me with my first hire and made me a somewhat capable manager (I hope so, at least!)

When I finished Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, I not only felt inspired to write an article but I went out and played tennis for the first time in nearly two years (I’m now determined to play several times each week and already played three times this week alone).

The list goes on and on.

You could have a gigantic library in your living room and you may be able to cite exactly what takes place in each chapter of the books on your shelves, but can you tell me which books changed your life in any tangible way?

Can you tell me the last time you read something that pushed you out the door of your old life and into the embrace of a better one?

It’d be a tragedy if my readers are simply consuming without contemplating their next move or seeking clear application.

If you’re reading this, I hope there was something I was able to say throughout everything I’ve ever published that has changed your life for the better.

I think it goes without saying (but hell, I’ll say it anyway) that reading for pleasure is absolutely fine. This article applies strictly for books and websites that are meant to be practical and designed for the reader to take action.