It took me some time to realize how much of my future is shaped by the habits I build in my early 20s. One of the most powerful habits I have cultivated over time is a reading habit. Starting early has given me the edge, so my experience and knowledge compounds over time. The books I’ve read have shaped my perspective, opened doors, and saved me from mistakes others have already made. In the next few lines, I’m gonna tell you more about my journey with books. Enjoy 🙂
Reading as a Kid → My Early Days with Books
Building a reading habit wasn’t something that came naturally to me. As a kid, I only remember reading a few storybooks, and they were kind of fun. Like many kids, anytime I picked up a book, I would quickly flip through to see how many pictures or illustrations it had. If there were none, “not for me”. The more pictures, the more interesting I thought the book would be. I even made a little game out of it—how fast could I read to get to the next picture or illustration? I remember books like Alice in Wonderland and A River of Hope.
However, as schoolwork got more difficult, building a reading habit didn’t seem to be an option anymore. “Why read a storybook just for fun when I had pages of textbooks to memorize?” I thought. And that was that—I didn’t really read again unless it was to do well in class.
Mr. Dade’s Influence → How a Teacher Changed Everything
My reading habit changed a little bit when I met Mr. Dade. He was my English teacher when I was about 13 years old. He is my mentor and good friend to this day, btw.
I loved literature and the English language in general because of Mr. Dade. Through him, I slowly began to rebuild my reading habit—but this time with a new purpose. Now I would read books mainly to learn new words. The rarer these words were, the better. I wanted to build a vocabulary of unusual words so I could use them to impress him in my essay writing or even my friends. I didn’t want to be surprised by new words, and for the most part, it felt like I was doing really well.
Reading for Faith → My Intellectual Journey into Faith
Fast forward, when in 2020–2022, a year after moving to China, into a culture that isn’t religious, and an international community of diverse religious backgrounds, I started reading Christian apologetics books to better understand my own faith and frankly a way to communicate my beliefs with my friends, Christians and non-Christians alike.
I read Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis, Tactics by Gregory Koukl, On Guard – William Lane Craig etc. I found these books almost addictive and so my reading habit kicked in, I was learning a lot and it seemed many people who talked a lot about this subject (Christian faith), barely read on the subject and mostly repeated what they’d heard somewhere, so it was intriguing to read for myself and share some of my thoughts with my friends.
After a while however, this obsession waned out (more on that in another post). I struggled to solidify most of these ideas into everyday life. In other words, it was an intellectual exercise to something I later felt not to be wholly intellectual. Deep inside I questioned if someone is morally superior just because they read some books, or understood something in a slightly or wholly different way than the next person
Discovering Jordan Peterson → The Algorithm Knows All
The YouTube algorithm, knowing the deepest thoughts of my heart, suggested Dr. Jordan Peterson at that phase and he talked about most of the things I was struggling with. The meaning of religious text in a way that doesn’t make the next guy stupid. What most of these stories mean at a psychological and more pragmatic level. How to implement these things in your life—now, today, tomorrow. How to have the humility to leave other people the hell alone, when you barely have a grip on your own life and the lives of your immediate family. This was a whole new direction for my reading habit.
I read his book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos and had a whole education and change in perspective and orientation.
Robert Greene’s Challenge → Challenging My Worldview
At this same time, to spice things up, the YouTube algorithm suggested someone talking about Robert Greene, and I came across his book The 48 Laws of Power.
I was shocked after reading through the table of contents (cos it had the laws listed) and after reading about the first two pages of the first law, I genuinely thought the book was some kind of prank or joke. It was so contrary to what I believed and felt so unethical that I thought it was some kind of reverse psychology.
I had just finished 12 Rules for Life (for the 2nd time) and it seemed these laws were the direct opposite of everything I had just learned. I googled Robert Greene and watched some of his interviews. It was real—he truly meant everything in the book. And more surprisingly, he didn’t at all seem tough or rude, a very sweet guy if you ask me.
I tried to find out what Dr. Jordan Peterson thought about him and the book, and luckily found an interview/podcast they did together. Score! Dr. Peterson showed so much respect for him and the book as he delved into Robert’s life and how he arrived at these laws. So I gave the book another shot. And I had a whole education about how to live. I discovered that a well developed reading habit gives me the opportunity to understand perspectives that challenge my own.
Many people have suggested the book could be taken either in offense or defense. That is to say, you could either apply the laws directly and be the perpetrator of the ‘unethical’ stuff or at least be aware and spot others who use these laws, so you can protect yourself.
Mastery and Wrestling With the Ideal → The Pursuit of Mastery
Next, I picked his other book, Mastery, where he gives a practical guide on how to be an expert in any chosen field. He explores deeply the ‘10,000-hour rule’ (more on that in another post).
I picked up Jordan Peterson’s latest book We Who Wrestle with God next, and Dr. Peterson explores deeply how we all, by struggling with moral and ethical decisions at every moment in our lives, wrestle with the ideal. (I’ll give a breakdown of the book in another post).
The Two Collins → My Accidental Discovery of the Financial Independence World
Somewhere along the way, a friend needed help with an assignment and asked me to read Beyond Entrepreneurship by Jim Collins so I could help. That’s how I “met” Jim Collins.
Then of course the YouTube algorithm noticed that and introduced me to JL Collins, financial independence/investing writer. I thought it was the same person, so since I liked the Beyond Entrepreneurship book, I figured I should check his other books out.
That mix-up led me to read The Simple Path to Wealth and Pathfinders—and a whole new world of financial independence and investment knowledge I never had before opened up to me.
A Business Turn → The Business World Calls
And now I’m into reading business books. I’ve read Million Dollar Weekend and $100M Leads, all YouTube suggestions. And a whole new world of marketing and sales has also opened up to me. It’s an exciting new chapter for my reading habit.
Looking Back → Lessons Learned from a Life of Reading
Looking back, reading has taken me through different worlds: from reading for the sake of nice pictures as a kid, to impressing a teacher with good essays, to wrestling with faith and belief, to reshaping my worldview with philosophy, psychology, and business.
Every book has been a doorway—sometimes into answers, sometimes into better questions. Reading has given me perspective, tools, and lessons that no single person or place could have offered me.
I get to learn from the experiences of other people, and not make the mistakes they have made. I’ve heard this compared to those “mind bender” riddles. You know, the ones that are impossible to get right the first time you meet them, but after you get the answer, it stays with you for life (assuming you don’t forget lol). The next time you meet this riddle, you’re like, “yh, I know that.”
Imagine how many life struggles and failures many people have gone through and distilled all of the knowledge into books, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes, because you have met them in books before.
Why I Believe Everyone Should Read → Why You Need a Reading Habit
So that’s why I believe everyone should read. Not because books make you superior, but because books keep expanding who you are, what you know, and how you live. Everyone should start reading before 25 and continue to make it a life-long reading habit.
