I used a simple strategy to trick my brain into reading my first book at 26 years old

Before reading, I consumed tons of content via blog articles, tutorials, courses, and YouTube videos. The school was the number one reason for hating reading books. We were obligated to read, summarize, and write about what we didn't like. Some students loved it, but I wasn't one of them: French, fantasy, and philosophy books made me quit reading them.

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Since then, I got the wrong idea about one of the best investments you can make your entire life. I would've spent thousands of dollars on books since my teens if I knew what it could do for me in the future.

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If teachers allowed you to understand what some of these books can do for you in the future, I would've read them with pleasure. All I heard was, you need to read it, that's all!

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I remember we had to read a fantasy book and talk about it in front of the students for French class. I tried, but I fell asleep every time I started reading it. I decided to watch the movie, understand who the hero was, the story, and the end. I read ten pages from the beginning, ten from the middle, and ten from the end of the book. That was all I needed to prepare my bullshit presentation based on a movie I watched and 30 pages I read.

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Looking back at it now, it was a good practice, talking in front of everybody with practically nothing prepared and still managed to get 80%+. I dream of talking about what I love in front of many people interested in what you're saying.

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If you're like my old self and don't like to read, stay with me and hopefully, you'll change your opinion.

Start with what you love

I wanted to learn as much as I could about brand strategy, and online content was not enough for a whole immersion of the subject. I was looking at some university marketing courses. I structured my learning accordingly to their table content.

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I looked up for top recommendation from The Futur. The first book that I purchased was: Designing Brand Identity- An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team. It was more of a guide manual than an actual book.

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I found my purpose of reading, learning what could help me in my business. It all comes down to reading what you love until you love reading.

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The first actual book that I read was Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. It helped me shape my personal branding and messaging. Books are the reasons I'm writing right now. It can only positively change your life. Never the other way around. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Read with a goal

When you find your way into reading, it would be best if you implemented what you learned. That's why picking books that can help you in your job, business, or life is a good choice when starting.

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I was looking to learn what are the best strategies to start a YouTube channel. So I picked up YouTube Secrets - by Sean Cannell. While reading it, I discovered that I could provide a type of content that can be entertaining and educational at the same time. And that's why I'm planning on starting a half vlogging, half educational YouTube channel talking about productivity, creativity, and all design things.

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Whenever I want to expand my knowledge on a new subject, I pick one book that can help me down the road. Fanatical Prospecting- by Jeb Blount is one that I chose because I wanted to learn about sales, landing clients, and negotiation.

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With this methodology, I can read one book per week while taking notes and applying what I learn as soon as possible.

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How have you decided to read your first book? I would love to learn more about your story!

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