5 wrong ideologies we have about books

There are many wrong ideologies we have about books that sometimes make it challenging for us to make the best use of the information within them.

Clearly, books in general vary and also serve different purposes in life. When it comes to books that help make us better people, we tend to expect so many things even before we begin to read them, and sometimes we end up being disappointed for one reason or the other. boos

We will look at a few wrong ideologies we have about books that we often get wrong. In this case, we will consider books that push us to think more and do more in life.

We will look at some of the misconceptions we have about books that help us grow.

Some wrong ideologies we have about books

1. The belief that one book can solve all our problems at a go

A lot of times we think that there is this one book that can solve all our problems when we read it.

Now that is a wrong assumption. Sometimes we think buying a book should serve the purpose of lifting us up from our problems immediately.

Some people think buying a particular book should make them the fortune they want or would make their life become different at a go.

In as much as books are capable of doing so, its also important that we understand that books often serve as links.

A book can introduce you to a concept and another can take you to another point or level until you connect the dots to get the full picture of it all. This is why a book will do us no good if we don’t keep our minds open while reading it.

When we read a book with such belief, we likely end up not taking away much because we probably perused the book having fixed our minds up to what we want to gain from it and not what the writer wants us to learn.

Basically, we stand a chance of losing the true value of the book as a result of our lack of open-mindedness.

This is also one of the reasons why sometimes we scan through books because we are searching for specific information we believe should be in the book.

This is one of the wrong ideologies we have about books that prevents us from keeping up with our search for a solution, which requires that we keep reading more books until we find all the necessary links needed to connect the dots.

2. A belief that we are meant to know everything written in a book

It’s no lie that a person who brings out his or her money to purchase a book would wish to get all the value within it. While this may be true, it is also very unlikely.

Books can contain lots of information that can prove almost impossible for us to grab all the important points outlined within it.

Some information in a book is pieces of information that may not be needed for the moment in time when reading for the first or second time.

Of course, except if we are professionals in a field, then, that is a different ball game.

Depending on the kind of book we are reading will determine what is required of us – like if we need to take our time to read word for word or if we need to scan or skip pages.

The hard truth is that sometimes some books which are highly rich can be so boring that when we are reading them at first, we are likely to give up along the way. So, in this case, what do we do, do we just give up?

In a case like this,  we could skip with the help of the table of content to areas that seem interesting and appear easy to understand, as the mind might be more open to understanding that part, then later we can come back to the boring aspect in order to connect the dots. Then we can read the full book having a clear understanding of the message the writer wishes to pass across.

The important point to note here about reading a book is the fact that we can not take away all the value within it at a go. On our second, third or fourth read, etc, we will get to understand the same book in a different way. This is due to the complexity of the mind and life as a whole.

This is equally one of the wrong ideologies we have about books that derail and slows our morale down when it comes to us trying to grab what has been said which could sometimes be overwhelming. In a nutshell, it is okay not to grab all the pieces of info written in a book at a go.

3. The belief that books are written for us to take in hook, line, and sinker

The wrong ideologies we have about books can be a fact that we believe that some books should be believed from front cover to back.

Of course, a lot of us have mentors, coaches, teachers but then, a lot of us do not have a mindset of our own. We take in every information that comes across to us hook, line, and sinker without filtering it. And this is exactly how a lot of us read.

Books are only a person’s opinion about a particular idea and are not written for us to take it all in without undergoing any self-consultation.

Do not misunderstand the fact that a book is capable of having so much information that it is almost impossible not to agree to everything written in it. That can be the case sometimes.

The point is that while that is true, it is important that despite how wonderful a book might be, it should always go through the self consultation and information filtering process.

There are books that can mislead, while there are some that can inspire and educate and there are ones that can do both as they are all written by mere mortals – humans.

Most are written from experience, others conceptions, and through deep meditation. Some are as a result of experiments and research, so we must identify what its true source of inspiration is before and then decide how to go about digesting it.

In this fast-changing world, we must be smart enough to think deeply while reading a book so as to self-examine its content before we run with it.

Reading without filtering for whatever reason is equivalent to the hook, line, sinker situation.

4. The belief that we are meant to read a book once and understand everything.

Another one of those wrong ideologies we have about books is having the mentality that we can understand everything written in a book at a go.

Sometimes, reading a book once might not give us a clear view of what the writer intends passing across, but reading it over and over can create the chance for us to see the bigger picture.

Some people are so good that they can read and understand at a go, but what of those who can’t?

We must learn what works for us and I believe that no matter how much we think we might have understood something at first, a revisit can sometimes prove us wrong even for those with high understanding ability. It’s not a criterion that a book must be understood totally when reading for the first time.

Try it the second time, and maybe the third time and as many times as you wish. You will notice a new meaning each time you revisit it. The important thing is to always endeavor to read with an open mindset.

5. The belief that we are meant to read a lot of books to feel accomplished

Again, another one of many wrong ideologies we have about books is the fact that sometimes we think of reading like an accomplishment in terms of numbers.

Most times, some of us are more focused on the next book while reading another. Their purpose is to increase their number and to let everyone know that they have read lots of books.

Reading a lot of books is good, it makes no sense when you read lots of books without learning and applying its lessons.

In this case, the most important question we should be asking is: what is my purpose for reading? what exactly do I wish to accomplish by reading this book?

If we read without a purpose, then reading so many books wouldn’t help us in any way. It would just be quantity without quality

It may seem as if we are competing against someone, or that we wish to show off the fact that we have read a lot of books – of course, some of us are like that.

One of the challenges a lot of us face in life is the fact that we read not with an intent to solve a need, but with the intention that we will look smart in the presence of others.

We talk about what we don’t do just to make ourselves appear big. But is that really reading? Yes, it is, but for what purpose?

It’s better to read with a need in mind rather for the sake of reading. Basically, every book has a need it tries to solve. We have to position our minds to find out what that need is, also how we can apply it in life is necessary as we read through a book rather than doing it for reading sake.

Bottom Line

There are many more things to books than just having them. They are useless to us if we have them and don’t tap into what is within them.

The wrong ideologies we have about books can be such that it disengages us from accessing the value which the book is trying to pass across to us.

Let’s say, for instance, you are having a challenge in your business and you do not know how to solve it, but then there is a book out there that can give you the lead you need.

From sales strategy to marketing strategy to business development and many more.

A book might end up giving you a lead, but that doesn’t necessarily mean solving the problem entirely for you. That lead is the quality you get from reading with intent.

In our relationships and marriages, we might find ourselves in problems in which we are unaware of, and sometimes, even when told about the problem by a third party, we seem not to have a clear understanding of it.

But then there are books written with a focus on relationship issues that can help guide us through such situations.

Besides, some people with big ego hate it when they are being told the truth about what they are doing wrong, even if it comes as a suggestion. In most cases, these sets of persons prefer learning by themselves. In their case, books should help.

Reading books related to whatever challenges they may be facing closes the gap for them because they get to learn on their own and they end up feeling proud having learned it on their own terms.

What happens is that the information contained in the book brings awareness to their minds on what is wrong or right with how they can approach such situations in life.

The only challenge is that most times we give priority to certain some sectors of our lives while neglecting others.

Literally, we sometimes end up reading only books related to maybe our interests, like our work, or things that give us pleasure while forgetting about our family and relationships.

Reading has a whole lot of advantages when we do it with an open mind. The important thing is for us to factor our intent during the reading process.

Keeping this at the back of our minds will enable us to stay on track and at the same time give us the opportunity to get the key message being put forward by the writer while also relating it to how it affects our lives and how it can be used for a greater good.

What wrong ideologies about books do you have in mind that you finally found out is not worth it? Leave a comment.