I love to read. I love to learn new things and have a wide range of interests. I like to read about the military, psychology, exercise science, wilderness survival and Christianity, just to name a few. As with most things that come into my life, I like to analyze and think about what I've learned and how it fits into my own little world. Sometimes this process of analyzing and thinking about the subject I'm reading about can become difficult for me. The reason is because it causes me to sometimes look deep within myself and sometimes I don't like what I see. I've also realized the subjects that shake me up the most are the areas I need the most personal work in. To some, this may seem like a bad idea, to submit yourself to something that may cause you to be uncomfortable or even cause a little pain. I, on the other hand, think its part of my personal growth process and find it invaluable.
I believe deeply that how I grow as a person is extremely important to myself and the rest of the world. How I am and what kind of a man I am affects my daughter, my wife, my co-workers, my athletes and the other various people I come in contact with everyday. I don't like what I feel when I don't like what I see inside myself. There's only one person that has the power to change myself, and that's me. But I need help understanding what's going on inside of me; that's why reading is so important to me.
We all came into this world without any baggage. We picked up that baggage over time through people we've met, events we've been through, the way we've been treated, and the challenges we've been met with. Those so called happenings have caused us to be the people we are; some of it's good and some of it's not good. What we do with the events that have affected us are completely and totally up to us. We can change. If you see something inside of you that you don't like, figure out what it takes to change it, quit blaming the people that may have caused it, and make the change. Don't let other circumstances and individuals have that power over you.
There's no magic formula for change. It's not easy. It takes time and dedication. It's hard. Change can be downright painful. But, now that I think about it, everything that's ever allowed me to grow was pretty tough. That's how it works. Growing takes work, lots of sweaty, dirty work.
Books are full of people who have overcome incredible odds. Books teach us how our thinking can sometimes be misdirected. Books teach us how our bodies and minds work and how incredible they are. Books teach us that we are all incredible beings that are capable of incredible things. We've all got it in us. Trust me, it's inside you. I used to think it wasn't inside me either. It's up to us to dig deep inside ourselves and find it. I'm far from perfect and have a lot of work to do. We're never done growing. If you think you're done growing, think again. I've made the mistake of believing that one myself as well.
Reading is a great tool for growth. Take if from people who are facing some of the same challenges you are. Take it from people who are facing challenges that are much bigger than the ones you're encountering. Learn from them and grow.
God bless,
Mike Sanders
