I have found that there are 3 ways we can approach learning and growing in life.  By the way, if you are not growing you will not be going anywhere with your life.  Anything that is healthy grows.  Anything that is decaying is dying.  So we have to learn how to grow in life.  Grow in our knowledge, in our understanding, in our gifts, in our personality, in our relationships, in our purpose, etc…

I believe one of the greatest ways someone grows and certainly one of the fastest ways to grow is to READ.  Reading great books will take you further than you will ever go on your own.  You can ride on the wings of those who have gone before, and know more about the subject you are growing in.  Reading is growing, and growing is going forward.

I have found over the years though that many people either don’t read enough, or don’t let what their reading change them.  Many people have read MANY books but never let it change them.  So here is a quick thought I have developed about reading.

If you want INSPIRATION just simply read

If you want INFORMATION study what you read

If you want TRANSFORMATION live what you read

INSPIRATION: Reading in and of itself will at best inspire you, but fade away over time.  Many people just simply read and the content never gets beyond their eyes.  They feel good about reading but forget everything a few hours later.  There is nothing wrong with just reading, but there is more to reading than just reading.  Inspiration is great but there is more than just being inspired.

INFORMATION: If you want to go to the next level beyond simply reading start to study what you read.  Take time to get information.  This goes beyond your eyes and into your mind.  Information fills our minds and gets stored in there for situations that will happen one day.  It is a way of collecting information in the library of our mind.  Studying is great, as it gets information to us, and we have to be informed in order to be in the know.  However, information is not the pinnacle of reading.

TRANSFORMATION: If you want to truly take a book and let it change your life you have to live out the principles you are learning.  Too many people don’t take what they read and live it.  Transformational reading enters through the eyes, marinates in our mind but then transfers to our heart.  And when our heart is impacted our actions follow.  If you want to transform your life in the most powerful way, live out what you are reading about.  Read books that will help transform you into who you are called to be.  Not every book will transform you, but some will.  I remember the first time I started to read the New Testament in the Bible.  It literally transformed my life.  It was so much more than just inspiration and information.  It gave me the principles to live by and that transformed me into who I am today.

So in closing, next time you read make sure you go through what I think are the 3 levels of learning while you read.  Hope this helps you get a framework for the books you are reading.  I love this picture below of someone I am guessing knew how to read…