How do you read a good book?

I was listening to an interview with Bob Proctor, of The Secret, the other day, and he said something that just jumped out at me like a ghost on Halloween. (I'm sorry, it's October 30th and I couldn't resist). Anyway, what Bob said was when most people read a book, they think they've read the book.


Now I know this may sound a little strange, but let me explain the context from which this statement came. Many people are seeking desperately for an answer. They want change in their life, and they think reading a good book will give them the answer they seek. And the truth is that there are a great many books out there that do answer the question of how. I've even written one of them.


Reading a good book is like getting into the mind of the writer. Depending on where this writer is coming from, that can mean having access to some very wise counsel. Take Napoleon Hill's famous book, Think and Grow Rich. Mr. Hill spent something like 12 years studying the 500 richest and most successful people of his time to put together a formula for others to follow to become successful themselves.


Evidently he did an excellent job at this too. After all, there are dozens of successful people today that credit this book as the basis for their own success. Bob Proctor repeatedly mentions this title as the initiating spark that set him on a path to success.


With testimonials like this, it is no wonder this book and others like it make their way to the best seller lists. There are thousands who want to have this same experience, or so we hear. But there really is more to the story.


Often times, someone will hear of a good book, and they will go out and buy it. They read it, and nothing happens. They may even do everything the book suggests. Still they get no real results. Then they may feel frustrated, but there is something more.


When Bob Proctor was given Think and Grow Rich, he didn't just read the book. He read it this book again and again and again. I've heard him say that he is still reading this book. He's also read a few other books. I heard him say he has something like 3,000 books in his personal library.


Beyond reading the book, Think and Grow Rich, Bob said he even got the recorded version. Mind you this was in the day of the vinyl records! He said he got an adapter to play this recording in his car as he was driving around. Came you imagine the dedication to not only receive the message of the book, but to get that message planted into his subconscious mind?


This is tenacity. Bob often mentions Wallace Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich as another book he has read countless times. One other was James Allen's As a Man Thinketh. By the way, I've read each of these books a number of times and agree that they are awesome books.


I have always been a rather voracious reader myself, and I do have certain books that I continue to read over and over again to the point I know them like the back of my hand. When I was really struggling I knew there had to be something in these books I was reading that would help me if I just kept at it long enough. This something I just knew instinctively.


It was when I was reading one of Brian Tracy's books that I learned I was doing the right thing. He suggested reading a book every week. He pointed out how far this would get you in the way of an education after a year, or after five years. It really is amazing when you stop to think about it. You can have the equivalent of a PhD after a few years of this. The years are going to pass by regardless of what you do, so why not get yourself a top rate education?


Dr. Joe Vitale is only too eager to point out his love for books. Les Brown says the same. The list goes on and on. The books are valuable, but you have to know how to use them. I don't know how others read but I do have a peculiar manner of reading a good book. I'd like to share it with you. You might want to try it. I'm not saying it is the best way for you, but I would suggest you give some thought as to how you read as well as what you read.


I really get into a good book while I am reading it. I want zero distractions. I demand this much. I'm thinking about the words and trying to get myself into the head of whoever wrote those words. When I come to something that is particularly deep or profound, I read that part through a second time and underline the words while I am reading them.


After I have done this, I pause to reflect on what I had just read for a few minutes. I first take in the depth of the meaning in its whole. Then I find a relation to the concept in my own life experience. I take my time on this. Sometimes I even write a short note in the margins of the page to remind me when I read this book again at a later date. I am in no hurry to move on when I am contemplating something profound.


Finally I will read this part through one more time before I do continue on. If the book I just finished reading was very good or intense, I will read it a second time immediately after finishing it. Then I usually move on to another book. At some future date, I will surely go back and read this book again.


I read daily. I do not read a new book every week any more. I did this for about five or six years. Now I am constantly going back and forth between new books and my many favorites, including the above mentioned titles. I also haev become a big fan on listening ot books on my MP3 Player. I will easily listen to the same book over and over again for a week straight and love every minute of it!


And by the way, I also read the books I've written, over and over again. I learn much from reading them as well. Reading is one of the best pass times you can choose. Especially when you are hungry to grow.



I want YOU to succeed!!



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes To Find Your Way, Manifest By Design Now.




All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting My Website.

A Conversation with Paul Martinelli

It is my sincerest desire to do all I can to give you the tools you need to discover and attain the success you desire and deserve. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you will have found in it many nuggets to help you to this end. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks on how to upgrade the impact I may have on helping others on their journey.


I just got off the phone with Paul Martinelli, who just returned from a European tour. You may have seen him in the DVD Beyond The Secret. He is an amazing human being who travels the world helping people like you and I learn how to bring out the greatness we all hold inside. He is also a business partner with Les Brown, who is also very well known as a mentor and motivational speaker to many Fortune 500 companies.


In my conversation with Paul, he offered to do a phone call in which I am inviting you to listen in on and to ask any question you like relative to achieving your dreams. This presents an amazing opportunity for you. Just imagine, what is it you most want to know about how to create the life you truly desire!


But I do need your help right now. The topic of self-help/personal growth is vast. I'd like to hear from you what specific topic ideas you would like to hear Paul talk about. You may leave a comment here or on my page in Facebook. Just click the Facebook link to the right.


The exact time and date are to be determined, but it will be within the next couple of weeks, so do let me know your topic suggestions and questions. And don't forget one of the most important lessons of success is to avoid procrastination. Success does not stand still and wait for anybody. So let me know and we'll "see" you on the phone call!



I want YOU to succeed!!



Or as Paul Martinelli would say, "Hold your image!"



Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting my website.

The Moment of Truth

It is very common to wonder about what might be the best action to take when you are looking to make a quantum leap in your life. If you have envisioned your ideal outcome and injected the most positive feelings you could muster into these thoughts, you likely are now receiving ideas for what action to take.



This is great, but this is also the point in which most people hesitate. They allow doubt or fear to enter the picture and either take no action or take action that invariably fails to produce the results they wanted. Let’s see how we might overcome this.


More important than what you do is how you are doing it. What do I mean by this? Two people doing the very same action will almost always get entirely different results from those same actions. It has to do with the energy they are expressing in doing those actions.


You want to hold the image in your mind of your ideal outcome only in whatever you are doing. Holding an image in your mind of your feelings of doubt or wondering whether this will work or not will only be detrimental to your outcome. It dampens the energy you are transmitting, and this energy will be picked up on by others, perhaps potential clients or partners.

Why do I fear doing this?

So very often when we do take action on an idea we believe will bring us closer to our dreams, we feel a sense of fear, because perhaps the thing we are doing is something we feel is beyond our current capabilities. Now if you think about the logic behind what you are doing, it would almost have to be something of a stretch for you. If you were not stretching, you would not be growing. If you are not growing, you will not be achieving much more than you currently experience.


It would be better to think: This had better be a bit beyond my capabilities or I would only be wasting my time!


Understand this before you even begin. So when you do feel a bit of fear, you may understand that this can be a good thing. Congratulate yourself. Secondly, do not concern yourself so much with how this specific action may turn out to the point that your entire future depends on it. The truth is your entire future does not depend on the outcome of this particular action.


This action may not bring you what you expect or immediately desire. It may be a valuable lesson you need to learn before making the desired leap on your next try. You may never know the specifics of the path the universe has in store for you on your journey to your goals.


This is why I so often say you must learn to enjoy your journey, no matter what. It is also good to remember the words of Les Brown:

"No matter how hard it gets or how long it takes, I’m gonna make it!”

In taking action towards your dreams, you have already set yourself apart from so many others who only talk or dream, but do nothing. At the very least, you can be happy knowing this. And the more you can feel happy with yourself, the better become your chances of getting what you really want. Cheers!


I want YOU to succeed!

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.






All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. If you enjoy the content of this blog, you can find more by Jeffrey Brandt by visiting Jeffey Brandt Products.