Lean Quote: A Book is Gift of a Lifetime

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."   —  Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life

It can be extremely easy to fall into the trap of letting life get in the way of your learning. In order to be at your best and stay at your best, you must never stop learning. Are you constantly learning new things? How many educational courses do you partake in every year? How many books a year do you read?

Reading is vital to maintaining a better quality of life. If someone has spent years or even decades packing all of their knowledge into a book, I am able to absorb all of their knowledge in a few hours by reading their book. If you learn even one idea, you can change your entire life.

The best thing about reading books is that all the advice is there for you to take or leave at your own discretion. This makes it easier for you to take action on what you are learning from the books because you can make the knowledge relatable to your situation.

A good book is also a good tool for your learning. Learning through books can establish a strong foundation for continuous improvement in you. Reading books will help you to self-evaluate, self-motivate and self-critique yourself better than any other external party can.

Reading is so important and in order to be a leader or a person of influence, constantly learning is vital to your success. No leader in history ever became one simply because he/she was a born leader. Leadership is not a talent, but a discipline that is forged through years of consistent work on weaknesses and development of strengths. One of the best ways to do this is by reading.

I always have a list of books on my waiting list to read and go through. Many of those I have reviewed on this site. I believe reading is essential for all of us and there is no better gift than knowledge.