I’ve always been an avid reader, right from my early teens. And in my years of reading, there are only two moments in time that I vividly remember being enlightened by a book. The first time happened quite literally with the first “big book” I ever read.
Designed My Image Using Canva
I was bored out of my mind back in 2013, and I didn’t have a phone to keep my mind distracted. So I perused through my dad’s mini library. My eyes fell on the huge Webster’s dictionary on the left end of the shelf. I had read that book to the point of boredom, so I wasn’t moved to pick it up.
My eyes moved on and kept roaming on each and every book, until I found a purple book, stashed in the middle of the swarm of books. I picked it out and gave it a good look. It was a novel I won in primary school. I had completely forgotten it ever existed.
Besides, I never considered myself a reader. I always told myself, “If it doesn’t have pictures,. Or the font is too tiny, then count me out.". But there was just something about that book; it might have been sheer boredom, but I just couldn’t put it back.
I took it to my room and skimmed through it. The book had pictures, but the font was tiny. Well, I decided to come to a compromise and read it anyway. As I started, my mind was opened. It felt like I had discovered something great that was right under my nostrils.
So this is what my mates in school enjoy when I see them bury their faces into novels? I always thought they were nerdy.
That was the official beginning of my journey into reading books for pleasure. And boy did I do some thorough exploration into the different genres. It didn’t take me too long to realize that Sidney Sheldon was my favorite author.
Through the following years, I settled on the identity of being a reader who dabbled only in fiction. I exclusively read for pleasure, except in school, of course.
Well, that lasted until very recently. I was once again bored out of my mind at work. I was working in this hospital that didn’t normally get a lot of traffic. So I whipped out the book I had thrown into my bag at the last minute.
It was the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki”. I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’re probably hearing about it. Well, I didn’t consider myself a finance guru or anything like that, so I didn’t know what to expect while reading.
But I’ll tell you something: nothing in the world could have prepared me for all the knowledge and enlightenment I was about to be bombarded with. It was like the moment in that movie “Limitless” when Bradley Cooper takes the pill and all of a sudden he is way smarter.
Well, I was absolutely clueless as to how close-minded I was when it came to money. That book singlehandedly pushed me to become curious about money and how to grow wealth. Before reading the book, I don’t think I would have ever placed wealth and my name inside the same sentence.
Wealth was something outside of my reach. It was something that other people had. I didn’t think it to be something I had permission to pursue. But after digesting the knowledge in Robert’s book, especially knowing that without the influence of Rich Dad, Robert could have grown up with the same money mindset that I had, my flabbers were gasted 😅.
My mindset was properly challenged, and my eyes opened to a new height of knowledge. I don’t have the wealth right now, but I know that I am just as capable of pursuing and obtaining it as any rich kid out there is.
After reading that book, my hunger for more knowledge on finance was awoken, and I went in search of more blocks of knowledge. Right now I am in the process of gathering anything I can get my hands on, whether it be books, podcasts, or even advice from financial advisors.
I am open to learning and thirsty for knowledge.
Images are my property...