Books! Books! Books!
Written by Carina Cristiano
I love to read! Truly read! Not fiction though, inspirational, leadership, spiritual, business, and communications! Self-help to empower? I'm there! The funny thing about my love for reading is that actually I have dyslexia and double vision! No kidding and I did not find out until my third year at University of Southern California. I'll save this story for another blog time because that carries a volume of information on overcoming life's challenges with a Heart Driven Purpose.
For now, let's get back to books and loving to read! I honestly do not know anyone that loves to read more than me than Oprah Winfrey! Of course! Yet I met another person Nikki Miller, Team Leader of Keller Williams of Santa Monica. What we share is the love to connect to stories by learning, assimilating new information into practice, and sharing with others the knowledge or insight gained! Reading can be intoxicating! In a positive way. Charged with information and personal development.
Sadly it is a lost art! I call it an art because nothing compares to picking up a book, hardcover or paperback and reading it. Marking up the margins with a-ha mentions, stars and a lot of underlining too! People are consumed with knowledge coming at them being feed in video. Telling them what to think and inference thinking skills are a lot art. We actually have to teach inference skills (what do you think that means) because we have been conditioned by mainstream videos to think for us.
Well, not in reading. As you read there are some wonderful enriching experiences that take place. Here are some examples for me. Please share your reading experiences too!
1.) How does it relate to me and or the world?
2.) How can I share this knowledge with others? Loved ones or strangers by teaching, coaching or consulting.
3.) What knowledge do I have on this subject that I can add to or compare to topic?
4.) What does this remind me of in my life? Or my future?
5.) How will this information change my life, my thinking of my world as I know it?
Well, Oprah is the ultimate in my inspiration. Her success, her goodwill and generosity are second to none. I don't need to explain to anyone in the world who Oprah is unless they have been living sadly under a rock. For those who do not know, Nikki is an incredibly successful realtor with a story that will amaze you on her success! She gladly shares it all and I love that she loves to teach others her knowledge! To me there is nothing better than when someone opens a meeting with a quote from a book and how it will relate to the meeting at hand. I absolutely love it!
Their love for reading makes me feel a special inclusion in their world and in a sense justifies my love for reading too! You see, I have been coined the Librarian since 2005. Not always in the most positive way because let's be honest, you think getting children to eat their vegetables is tough? Not really. Try getting adults to read books! From city leadership to some CEO's, they kind of fight it. So I have broken down chapters, sections, whatever it takes for them to read. I have developed a system that we do not need to read the book from cover to cover if that is not going to work for my client, but they will need to read something! Homework at every age for a life learning philosophy.
By the way, I will be starting a leadership/ spiritual book club in the New Year! I would love to kickoff 2020 with you and explore a world of reading and empowerment for a Heart Driven Purpose. Our first read will be The Art of Possibility my Zander & Zander. If interested you can email me at carina@heartdrivenpurpose.com or you can sign up via my program section of website.