1. Reading is an active mental process : Unlike TV, books make you to use your brain. By reading, you think more and become smarter.
2. It is a fundamental skill builder : Every good course on the planet has a matching book to go with it. Why? Because books help clarify difficult subjects. Books provide information that goes deeper than just classroom discussion.
3. Improves your vocabulary : Remember in elementary school when you learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? You get the same benefit from book reading. While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn't be otherwise.
4. Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places , What is your favorite vacation spot? I would bet you read a lot about that destination. The more information the better. Books can expand your horizons by letting you see what other cities and countries have to offer before you visit them.
5. Improves concentration and focus: Reading books takes brain power. It requires us to focus on what we are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails that might contain small chunks of information. Books tell the whole story. Since we must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, we will get better at concentration.
6. Builds self esteem By reading more books, we become better informed and more of an expert on the topics we read about. This expertise translates into higher self esteem. Your feelings about yourself can only get better.
7. Improves memory : Many studies show if you don't use your memory, you lose it. Crossword puzzles are an example of a word game that staves off Alzheimer's. Reading, although not a game, helps you stretch your memory muscles in a similar way. Reading requires remembering details, facts and figures and in literature, plot lines, themes and characters.
8. Improves your discipline : Obviously, if 1 in 4 people don't read one book per year, then there is a discipline issue. Making time to read is something we all know we should do, but who schedules book reading time every day? Very few That's why adding book reading to your daily schedule and sticking to it, improves discipline.
9. Learn anywhere : Books are portable. You can take them almost anywhere. As such, you can learn almost anywhere too.
10. Improves creativity : by reading more books and exposing yourself to new and more complete information, you will also be able to come up with more creative ideas. As a personal example, I read many, many books on IT Networking. So often, when IT Admins are stumped with a problem, one can come up with a creative (smack your head simple) solution that isn't written anywhere. But the reason we can do that is because we have read so many books on the subject,we can combine lessons from all of them into new solutions.
