Power of books

I remember giving my younger sister life lessons, when I was still young. I told her, “We are from a lower middle class family. Our father works in a small private held company as an accountant. We do not have IAS officers, doctors, scientists, and bureaucrats walk in to the drawing rooms of our house. The seemingly successful people about whom we read about in newspapers and TVs are not within our reach. But there is one way we could reach to them. Through books. We can interact and converse with some of the greatest minds in the world through the books written by them or about them”

I believe more in this thought today than ever before. I dont claim to be well read. But reading is my hobby and with whatever little I have read I think books are the only way to inspire you. Because most often the environment around you is mediocre. People often complain about the quality of their lives not being good. People say their life isn’t happening. But I feel they think so because they arent around people who are happening. It’s books that than can make your lives happening.

You all would know about the 20/80 principle. The world is being driven by 20% of the people (I believe its even less) and 80% follow them. It is these 20% people who are the decision makers and wield authority and influence over other 80%. Though the rest of the species does want to improve it is held up in mediocrity because of lack of examples and inspiration around them. It is through books that one can draw inspiration from and look for examples. If the immediate world around you is mediocre and you fear falling into the same rut of mediocrity read great books. Read biographies of some of successful people to know how they conducted their lives. Books give you hope. Books give you the power to change yourselves if it is backed by genuine intent.

I have seen people debating over the futility of self help books. After so many years reflecting on my past, I can honestly conclude that self help books have been helpful. People often argue that they are mature enough to be needing self help books. And when they read, they would conclude, “there is nothing new”. But most often self help books reinforces things in your mind that we already know. With the daily grind of life, we often tend to forget implementing things that we already know. Personally for me, though I feel the content is common knowledge, I still read it. I feel good to read it because it helps me condition my thought process and distinguish between the right and wrongs of the world. You wouldnt know how and when subtely it would have left an imprint in your mind. And all that you read consistently manifests in some way on your actions.
Some of the books that have shaped me over the years are:

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A book recommended by a good friend 5 years back, it continues to inspire me and I try to live upto its message. The message that I can sum up is, as you go up in life, you might feel lonely at the top but you will soon find people of your ilk. Dare to be different. Dare to be ‘weird’ as branded by your peers and challenge the status quo.


• The Secret: It taught me the law of attraction. I want to believe in its explanation.


• The Alchemist: One statement, “When you want something badly, the whole world conspired to help you”


• Go Giver: It taught me the power of giving. Give generously and you would receieve.


• Swami Vivekananda’s books: It again taught me to give back to the world.
• How to win Friends and Influence People: The first book I ever picked up other than course books. Top draw!


• India Unbound: Gurcharan Das’ masterpeice will give you a lot of precious perception about entrepreneurship and India.


• Walmart Story: Sam Walton’s modesty even after owning world’s largest retail chain was too humbling to learn.
  

There are many other books that are business books and autobiographies. I could think of only these now.
(When I asked to one my students in my class on what sort of books she read, she mentioned Chetan Bhagat . It blew my lid over. My next post would be on why I dont read Chetan Bhagat. On second thoughts, my blog doesnt deserve a post on Chetan Bhagat. Apologies to all Chetan Bhagat fans.)
In this tough world in absence of role models, we often are lost. It reminds me of a very learned colleague who said, “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is the king”. There is a scarcity of hope and inspiration. There is pain and suffering. Often when life presents difficult circumstances we feel hopeless, frustrated, and shattered. We feel like a trapped soul trying to catch some breath. Trust me, a good book can lend you that breath of fresh air. It can lift your spirits. It has the power to alter the course of your life. The power to give life to lifeless, hope to the hopeless.

Though the post is about books, pardon me for digressing. Let me also talk about TED videos. Internet through TED has given us a gift. TED gets some of the best minds of the world to talk to the masses. All these talks are saved on the site for everone’s consumption. A TED talk a day is what i recommend.