April: 30 Minutes of Daily Reading
Time is not my limiting factor.
In April, I read for 30 minutes a day. I have always enjoyed reading but do not as much as I would like. It is important to note that The Challenge Year is not just about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone but also about making time for things you enjoy.
The hardest thing about this challenge was finding the time to read. Sometimes the 30 minutes I needed just didn’t seem to be there. Despite this, I could make the time I needed. Sure, it was hard to keep my eyes open while reading Tolstoy's Resurrection at 10:00pm, and sure, some of my readings may have gone past midnight, but I got this done every day.
This helped reinforce a significant concept that The Challenge Year taught me. That is, time is not the primary constraint I face in my life; it is prioritization. I experienced a lot of great benefits with reading, so prioritizing it was enriching. I find it very relaxing and extremely helpful for my creativity.
When I read, I start seeing the world through a different lens. Through this challenge, I read three types of books, they were: Tolstoy’s Resurrection (fiction), Good to Great (a management book), and Brew (a book about coffee). Despite the stark differences between these books, each one brought great benefits. When I read Tolstoy, my mind was forced to think deeper about the world and what goes on in it. Reading Good to Great pushed me to apply new concepts to my job. From Brew, my eyes were opened to the world of coffee around me. With each one of these books, my mind was challenged to think differently. I will note that I only finished Resurrection in April and got halfway through Good to Great. Because of this challenge, however, I continued to read much more into May, which allowed me to finish Good to Great and Brew in just a few weeks.
I recommend this challenge for two reasons. One, it is relaxing. When you read, you are entirely in the moment and engaged with the words on the page. The second reason I recommend this is that one book or even one sentence can have a grand impact on you. It could challenge how you think, bring you new ideas, or introduce you to new things in this world. Or, in the case I mentioned in my March challenge, completely change your life.
This month reminded me of why I love reading and why it is so important. Additionally, this month let me experience a wonderful realization that time is not my limiting factor. Time is out of my control; prioritization, however, is mine to do with as I please.
