Jameel Rahemtoola
Reading is a fundamental skill that is essential for learning. However, not everyone enjoys reading. During my school days, I detested reading so much that I would rather get punished than read a book and present it to my friends. Those black letters on these yellowish, damp-smelling papers made reading dull, disgusting and even sickening.
Back in college, I had to study literature as a mandatory subject. I was mediocre in it. I was so hopeless that one of my favourite teachers advised me to return the answer sheet blank during my final exams as failed subjects would not appear on the certificate. His reasoning was that having all A’s in other subjects and a single D/E in Literature would stain my certificate. I took it as a challenge and started reading those literature books every day. When the exams came, I answered all the questions and even asked for extra paper for my answers. I was so proud of myself! On the day of the results, that same teacher was handing out result slips. I walked towards him with arrogance expecting him to eat his words and apologize for the terrible advice he gave me. As I came near him, he handed me my results slip, smiled and whispered, “I’m so glad you followed my advice.” I failed the Literature exam.
During my time at University, I stumbled upon the Self-Help genre. These books were unlike anything I had ever read before. Gone were the days of Harry Potter, Shakespeare and Christopher Pike, as these books were now filled with valuable insights and inspiring advice that had the potential to transform my life. I came to the realisation that the self-help genre is a powerful tool for my personal growth. Despite my previous struggle with reading, I was so intrigued that I purchased my first self-help book, Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
As time went by, I accumulated numerous self-help books, but reading them remained a struggle. Every night, laying in my bed, I had to force myself to read them. I would frequently get sidetracked and couldn’t recall what I had read. It was like a love-hate relationship; I loved the ideas and insights in the books but despised reading them. As a result, my collection became “shelf-help” instead of self-help. I began to resent myself for not being able to absorb the valuable insights from these books. I felt like the donkey in the well-known proverb “You can only take the donkey to the water but you cannot make it drink the water.” Knowledge and wisdom were overflowing from these pages, but I couldn’t drink it.
I recently attended a three-day online training with Dr Michael Hall, the Founder of Neuro-Semantics, “Unleash your Learning Genius”. During the workshop, we talked about reading extensively as it is a premier way to learn. On the third day, during lunch break, I was chatting with my wife when she asked me a question that made me laugh. She noticed that for the past two nights, I would disappear from the room for around 20-30 minutes, and when I came back, I was radiating with joy – maybe a little too much joy! So, she asked me what was going on. I told her all about my nightly adventure…
It all began on the first night of the workshop when I picked up the book “Secrets to Personal Mastery” from my bedside, laid down on my bed, and began reading. On my first yawn, I heard Dr Michael Hall’s voice saying “Don’t read in bed.” He repeated that phrase a few times that day. He pointed out that lying down while reading can send the wrong signal to the brain. He stressed that reading non-fiction books is not a way to unwind or doze off, but instead a way of assimilating potentially transformative concepts. To send the proper signal to the brain, he recommended sitting in an active position while reading. So, I decided to give it a try and moved to my office. As I sat in my chair, I felt a heaviness in my chest and a tightening in my muscles, as if my energy was being drained.
Often we experience energy drain because of ideas, beliefs, past memories clashing with our goals or current actions. These internal clashes or fights hinder our ability to perform at our best. In my case, I had several limiting beliefs about reading. I used to believe that my reading speed was a measure of my intelligence, that reading was not for me and that having to reread something made me stupid. Additionally, the number of books on my shelf seemed overwhelming, and I thought it would take me at least a decade to read them all.
To overcome these beliefs, I applied the techniques Dr Hall taught us earlier that day. I identified and replaced those limiting beliefs with more empowering ones. I now believe that the past doesn’t determine the future and that I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to, including becoming a better reader and learner. I view reading and learning as essential components of my personal growth. I also connected to what Mark Twain said: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” Once I connected with these empowering beliefs and intentions for reading, I felt lighter, more aligned with myself and read to go.
With these positive vibes, I started my pre-reading ritual, which involves asking myself three questions before starting to read: 1) What am I about to read? 2) Why is it important for me to read this? 3) What do I expect to get out of this? The importance of the pre-reading ritual cannot be overstated. It’s often ignored, but in my experience, it’s similar to the rejuvenating steam that is applied to your face before a facial at the spa. This steam helps to open your pores and prepares your skin for the upcoming treatment. In a similar way, the pre-reading ritual helps to prepare your mind and make it more receptive to the material you are about to read.
After performing my pre-reading ritual, I picked up my book, turned to the first page, and told myself, “May the journey begin.” I was now fully primed and excited to begin the Art of Slow Reading, a term I coined for Dr Hall’s reading technique. He emphasised that the quality of understanding and retention is more important than the number of pages you finish in 30 minutes. So, I picked up a pencil, ruler and began reading.
To improve comprehension rate, Dr Hall encouraged us to write a summary of each page on top of the page. I wrote “Priming” on top of page 1. I felt euphoric and excited that I finally understood and summarised a whole page without yawning.As I continued reading, I realised the author was using different structures to prime the reader. Primarily, questions were used on page 1, and page 2 was through a story. This was a new experience for me. Not only was I understanding what the author was saying, but I was also becoming more aware of the structure behind the words.
Whilst continuing our chat I shared with my wife what I had read over the past two nights: eight pages in total. When I finished, my wife said “You have a good memory”. It dawned on me that she was right. I am no longer the person who forgets what the author said at the beginning of a page by the time I reach the end. Instead, I was able to summarise two days of reading for my wife from memory alone. My entire reading experience has been transformed.
Let me summarise the five lessons I learned from my experience of reading self-help books:
Lesson 1: Active Reading – No reading self-help books in bed.
Lesson 2: Always have a pencil and ruler in hand.
Lesson 3: Get in the right mindset – Pre-Reading Ritual Questions.
Lesson 4: Keep paper nearby to jot down ideas and distracting thoughts.
Lesson 5: Write a one-word, one-phrase, or one-sentence summary at the top of each page.
Which of these 5, are you committing to apply to your reading?
Author: Jameel Rahemtoola is a professional in the area of Personal Mastery and Organisational growth, serving as a Business Owner, Meta-Coach, and Neuro-Semantics Trainer. If you have any questions or comments about the article or related topics, he can be contacted via email actualizingpotentials@gmail.com.