Did you know that the average American watches 7 — YES, 7! — hours of TV a day.
Hey all, Patrick Riddle here with some powerful words on mindset.
Using some conservative numbers — just 3 hours of TV per day, 5 days/week, while valuing your time at $50/hour — would cost you $1,800,000 over 50 years! $1.8 million! And most people watch a heck of a lot more than 3 hours of TV per day.
Look, if you want to build a thriving successful REI business and live an epic life, it’s time to start spending more of your free time adding value to your life, rather than getting the life sucked out of you.
Awesomely’s good buddy and investor genius, Trevor Mauch, challenged me to cancel my cable TV just like he did or cut down on the number of streaming services I have. Whether you do the same or just drastically reduce the time you spend in front of the TV…
Here’s what I want you to do: Set aside 1.5 hours each week for reading.
As Ben Franklin said:
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Do you read good books regularly? Books that inspire… inform… educate? Books that challenge you to be, do and have more?
Lemme tell you a story…
Growing up, I was never much of a reader. Anytime I was supposed to read a book for school, I grabbed the “Cliff’s Notes.” I didn’t enjoy reading and didn’t feel like I was very good at it.
When I got into real estate investing, the first thing I did was venture into unknown territory: Barnes & Noble.
I picked up a couple books, started reading one… and my life changed forever. Reading real estate investing books led to personal development — and I gravitated toward everything non-fiction I could get my hands on to learn more.
I decided to become an avid reader (keyword “decided”). And over time, I started enjoying reading more and got better at it.
Since getting started investing in real estate, I’ve read hundreds of books (prob 350 or so)… on subjects like:
- communication
- sales
- marketing
- management
- finance
- success
- mindset
- goal setting
- business development
- anything and everything that adds to the value i bring to the marketplace
Do you think all my voracious reading has had an impact on my success in businesses and life?
You bet it has! It’s been big! Huge! ENORMOUS!
I want to share with you some interesting stats in Burke Hedges’ book, “Read & Grow Rich” (awesome book BTW).
Check this out…
Statistic 1 – At any given time, 30% of Americans are living in poverty.
Statistic 2 – 37% of Americans never read another book after high school.
Hmmm… coincidence? I don’t think so!
And in Harvey Mackay’s book, “Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive,” here’s what he says about the power of reading:
“Our lives change in two ways: through the people we meet and the books we read.”
If you’re not reading good books, you’re not changing… If you’re not changing, you’re not growing… If you’re not growing, you’re not on your way to building a thriving, fun, and profitable investment business.
With all this said, are you committed to reading good books for 1.5 hours per week?
This is one of the most valuable habits you can form.
A measly hour and a half of reading each week is less than 15 minutes per day. If you didn’t cancel your cable, could you watch 15 minutes less of TV each day? YES.
Even if you were unwilling to sacrifice ANY of your precious TV time, could you wake up 15 minutes earlier each day to read? YES.
Commit NOW to this simple little habit: 1.5 hours of reading per week. That equates to about a book a month. It WILL change your life!
As Jim Rohn said: “To reach higher levels of success, you must stand on the books you read.”
Wondering what books to read?
Here are a few of my all-time favorites:
- “Maximum Achievement” by Brian Tracy
- “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
- “Unlimited Power” by Tony Robbins
- “The Five Major Pieces of the Life Puzzle” by Jim Rohn
- “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber
- “No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs” by Dan Kennedy
Now, get to reading.