How eager do you want to change your life?
Tod graduated from his university studies majoring in accounting. Starting young, he got a job at a prominent accounting firm working as an auditor. After working extensively for a long period of time, one day Tod figured that he wanted to live a better life. He had made enough savings and decided to slow down to enjoy more time with his beloved family and friends…
… Only to find out that he was approaching 60 years old, his body showing a rapid decline in health and most importantly, the people he treasured were no longer around.
Does the story sound familiar?
The story of Tod was fictional but it’s actually a true story reflecting how most people in the modern world tend to live their lives, which include me and maybe also you.
In reality, most people are not content with their current lives. Whilst we may be conscious of this thought, only a handful of us are willing to make changes to it.
There are indeed two types of people in this world: the ones who complain about problems and the ones who work for changes.
What separates the two types of people from one another? The key lies in a person’s MENTALITY.
My realization for changes
Hi everyone, welcome to Calm Reading. This is Ciaos, the Creator of Calm Reading.
Very similar to Tod, I have lived most of my life like most people. I started my work right after graduation and worked diligently every day. I have always looked forward to a day where I can save enough money, then enjoy the freedom of doing things I truly enjoyed and spend time with my family as much as I wanted.
Unfortunately, life is not always as smooth as we imagined. I was diagnosed with a rare neurologic illness called spasmodic torticollis which has stuck with me for over 10 years. Always hoping that one day I can wake up feeling fully recovered, this day never came despite all the medical treatments I attended to.
I felt depressed, helpless and lack of direction in life.
The once energetic and optimistic me gradually became quieter and more pessimistic, and these changes directly demoralized both my work performances and attitude towards life.
Early in the year, my family and I unfortunately got hit with COVID-19 when the pandemic was at its peak. My wife and I felt so vulnerable under influence of the virus, especially when seeing our little son lying on bed sick with high fever.
At that instant, I suddenly had this mental realization: life is so fragile and too short. I wanted to provide more happiness to my beloved family and myself in this limited life of mine. I WANTED TO MAKE CHANGES TO MY LIFE.
But how?
Reading changes life by enriching knowledge and enhancing mentality
I had always liked reading since I was small but I put this habit down since graduation. By chance of this pandemic, I had more time staying at home and I started picking up reading as a habit again.
Specifically, I became very obsessed in reading Self-Help books which are practical books aiming to help improve oneself. I have learnt so much from this genre of books, and as I read more, the more I feel about making improvements gradually.
I feel empowered by the new knowledge acquired and mentally stronger when I figured I could Unfold Knowledge and apply skills I have learnt from books.
Some immediate benefits from reading
In addition, I identified some immediate benefits after picking up reading:
- Feeling more confident by understanding more about myself and the outside world
- Learning how to treat abstract ideas more systematically
- Forming better habits for the benefit of my health and productivity
- Experiencing calmness when reading
Making progresses is always the fuel to move forward. As I read more and more, I slowly found my hunger to seeking a growth mindset and accumulation of knowledge. I have grown more forward looking to my future. Though the rare disease still stuck with me, I now accepted it as part of me and I fear it less and less.
This enhancement in mindset is bringing actual changes to my life.
To record my reading journey for knowledge exploration and mind growth, I started from scratch to build Calm Reading in order to share what I have learnt from books to readers like you.
If you happen to read this site, I firmly believe you are similar to me, who are pursuers of growth in knowledge and mentality, and one who looks for changes in life.
I figured that Reading is a gateway to unlocking wisdoms. These wisdoms, if mastered well, can become precious treasures that help change your life.
I encourage you to start your own reading journey too.
How to use this site?
The founding tagline of Calm Reading is “Read to Learn. Read to Calm.” which sets out the purpose of the site:
A “Self-Help” learning site unlocking book wisdoms which enrich knowledge and enhance mentality.
You can learn from this site through three different approaches:
- Read Book reviews on quality nonfiction books and learn key lessons from them
- Understand Self-Help more and learn how Self-Help books can change your life
- Learn more about how Knowledge unfolds from selected books
Start your reading journey now
“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”
Leo Tolstoy
Do you believe that reading can change your life? Pick up a book now and start reading. Begin experiencing the benefits and changes that reading brings to your life.
Join Calm Reading to accompany your reading journey by subscribing below:
Please also support Calm Reading by purchasing quality books via paid affiliate links (Amazon or Book Depository) in this site. The links for purchasing these books are paid links via Amazon or Book Depository which we may receive commissions from qualifying purchases.
Read to Learn. Read to Calm.
The Creator
April 23, 2022 (site created)
January 6, 2023 (revised)
