I am a huge fan of reading. I don’t know about you, but I always have at least three books on the go at any one time
and several dozen more (yes, really) stacked up by my bed, ready to dive into as soon as I have capacity. That’s not to mention the many books I have pre-loaded on my Kindle Fire and my audiobooks on Audible.
I don’t know whether it’s because I find reading books so relaxing, mind-expanding, or comforting, but there is just something incredibly appealing to me about checking out a recommendation for a new title on Amazon, deciding if I want to read it or not, saving it to my wish list— now sitting around 90 titles — and then proceeding to checkout.
Then, there’s the thrill of coming home to find that a new book has arrived on my door mat!
Better still, I love wandering ‘round bookstores. My favourite is Waterstones, and I’m lucky enough to have one local to me. Whenever I have a chance, I’ll browse Waterstones and look for another tome to dig into.
So what do I read? Well, I have always got a business-style book on the go, a book on psychology or success, plus, invariably, one novel. It really depends on my mood, but I do interchange three books at one time.
I tend to read one book and follow the recommendations from that author, so I am never without new ideas to follow up on. Right now, I’m reading ‘Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It… and Why the Rest Don’t’ by Verne Harnish.
The timing of this book is perfect, as I am in the throes of growing The Claims Desk, and I need great practical ideas that will assist me as I move my business forward, embrace new IT, and take on more staff.
I’ve always had an interest in philosophy, and I recently read a few wonderful books by Ryan Holiday. He’s expert on the ancient Stoics. I know it sounds heavy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Holliday has written
a wonderful book called ‘The Daily Stoic’, which offers up 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance and the art of living.
Each day, he provides a Stoic insight or exercise from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the playwright Seneca and the slave-turned philosopher Epictetus, plus some other thinkers. These are far from heavy or dull, and they provide a truly inspirational daily dose of classic wisdom!
The third book I’m reading right now is one that took my fancy when I was wandering round Waterstones a couple of weeks ago, called ‘This is London’ by Ben Judah. It’s a walk ‘round London, as you have never seen it before, into “the hidden immigrant life of the city”. I love London for its rich history and varied culture. I am blessed to live in
such a diverse city, and this exposes stories you don’t normally hear, told from the perspectives of beggars, bankers, gangsters, sex workers and witch doctors and from multicultural voices.
When I came home from work yesterday, I was excited to find that a parcel had arrived. In opening it, I found a book that I hadn’t ordered. It was sent to me by a client! It’s called ‘The Winter of Our Disconnect’ by Susan Maushart.
This is the light-hearted true story of a single mum of three teenagers who ‘unplugs’ her family from all things electric and Wi-Fi for six months as an experiment! If only. The best part was the handwritten postcard I found inside, which you can see above. I love it when clients surprise me like this. It shows we are doing something right.
You can tell that I would probably talk about books for hours if you let me, but I guess I’d better stop now — I have a sudden urge to read some of my books! Until next time, relax and read a good book! You won’t regret it!
Steve!
P.S. ‘If you want grab your very own FREE copy of the book I wrote for you ‘ Five Deadly Sins That Can Destroy Your Insurance Claim’ go to www.fivedeadlysins.co.uk and let me know what you think!
