Just do it. Read!

          Although I would have considered myself a bookworm when I was younger, it is surprising how much the lifestyle change at college absorbed the time that I used to spend reading. Of course, I spent a lot of time reading textbooks and class notes, but after all of the studying, my brain needed a break. Reading was the last thing on my mind. My extra time was quickly filled with other social and extra-curricular activities. (Like many of my fellow graduates, I can probably count on one hand the number of books that I have read for pleasure during my undergrad.) In the back of my mind, I have always known that reading is a good thing, but recently a few influences have helped me to realize just how important it is.

           Some of the most successful individuals that I have met or learned about consistently emphasize reading. Dr. Ben Carson, is one of my new heroes. Raised in the  Detroit area, by an illiterate single-mother who wanted a different life for her two sons, Ben overcame racial barriers and all odds to become one of the youngest major division directors at John Hopkins hospital as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at age 33. In one of his books, he attributes much of his success to his avid love of reading and constantly points to it as the easiest way to better ourselves. On the first day of our leadership class, Professor Brach told us that the simplest way to make sure that we stand out from our peers is to begin reading literature about our future field. Also, I thought that this graphic illustrated well how one of the most basic things can be so valuable to our future success, yet reading is what we're not doing. This year, I am inspired to challenge myself to just do it. Read!