For fear of sounding like my blogs have resorted to little other than what I’m reading, this will be my last on the topic for a while. This post is not just about reading however, but about making progress too.
In my last post I reviewed my reading list of 2013 and mentioned some aims for the 2014 reading list. Those aims included a book, Whirlwind, which was a spin off from the X Files series which I’ve had for at least 10 years. Picking it up off the book shelf to make it my first read of the year and get me on my target to beat last year’s 18 books, I found it an incredibly quick read and am happy to say I had my first title under my belt before the first week of the new year was out; putting a smile on my face too.
This left me with a decision to make about the next book to embark upon. After considering a couple of titles, I decided to stick to something from my list and picked out Yan Martel’s Life of Pi. I read the author’s intro and first chapter last night and from first impressions, I think I’m going to enjoy his writing style. At just over 300 pages, it will likely take a bit more time to get through than my first book of the year but I’m looking forward to being able to watch the film once I turn the final page.
As well as giving me chance to start off my aims for 2014, it reiterated something for me; that progress is motivational. Now you might not relate reading to progress, but it depends on what you’re reading and how that feeds into your life. If you’re studying, you may be putting off catching up on reading notes, and getting started could be the first hurdle that once overcome, gives you a boost to get yourself back on track. Or you may want to learn more about a topic and picking up some non-fiction titles could be just what you need to get started. Or perhaps your lifestyle is normally hectic and you want to commit to relaxing more and having more ‘you’ time – sitting with a book could be the ideal starting point.
But it doesn’t just have to relate to reading. Progress of any kind can give you a feeling of breaking the inertia of chilling out on the sofa over the Christmas period. Whether you want to lose a few pounds or just become fitter; save money for a rainy day or something you’ve always wanted or start spending your money more wisely; stop eating out so much or learn to cook more meals from scratch, it’s often taking that first step that can put you on the road to achieving your goals. So whatever you want to achieve in 2014, it’s time to turn the page in the next chapter of your life and take the first step towards a new Happy.
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