How I developed a reading habit, Tip #2: Join a Book Club

 

The key to building positive habits & continuous growth is to join activity groups. That is how I got into the habit of reading only recently in 2020: by joining our company division’s Book Club gathering. 

The premise was simple: Anyone in the virtual gathering can take a few minutes to share any book they want - summary, review, takeaway points. 

It was amazing! I was pleasantly surprised by the positive atmosphere of the gathering: it had an electrifying amount of energy, enthusiasm, and passion shared by the book-readers and fellow audiences alike who participated with an infectious level of encouragement and excitement. A much-needed dose of positivity & a welcome morale boost!

The virtual gathering left me with a feeling of #FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) & wanting to be part of this infectious awesomeness. Determined to contribute, I cranked up my reading habits in preparation for the next gathering, sharing Carmine Gallo’s book, "Storyteller's Secret" and unexpectedly won best sharing.

To keep up the habit momentum, I make it a commitment to share & participate at every available opportunity. 

Since then, reading has become a beloved hobby, and I was able to finish more than 20 non-fiction books, from genres such as Islamic knowledge, parenting, leadership, productivity, management, psychology & health. 

Big takeaway point: If this lazy procrastinating fella can start, so can you.

In his book, “The Power of Habit”, Charles Duhigg references a 1994 Harvard study of other people who had dramatically changed their lives. Often their secret wasn’t momentous upheaval. It was just joining a group that consisted of the type of people they wanted to become.

This is what makes Tadarrus/Quran memorization groups, book gatherings, Boot Camps and even Alcoholics Anonymous in America  so effective: the peer pressure, accountability partners who inquire you upon your absence, encouragement & inspiration from those who have succeeded (& failed but keep persisting to try) inspires us to keep going!

And if you can’t find the right activity groups? START ONE! Be the change that others need 😄👍🏼