Ryan Holiday once said:
Not every person is a reader. But every leader is a reader.
And if I may add — every creator is a reader.
Gladys and I have always been captivated by the realm of books. In particular, it was the children’s section that we held an allure. We could spend hours leaning against the bookshelves, flipping through the beautifully adorned pages crafted for the young ones. Walking out of the store with a fresh book in hand was always the case.
Everyday before bedtime, we would read to Maxime. He doesn’t understand what we’re saying, but he is listening. Always smiling, always excited, always eager to turn the page. One book after another, what was a one-time activity came a pre-bedtime ritual.
Then I realised no matter what language it’s in, how sophistically designed, or the fundamental theme behind the book, stories do something massive in our little children: inspire.
It does that to you and I, too.
Follow what smart people do
Winding up the day, Gladys and I would spend the last thirty minutes of awake time planted on the sofa with a book / Kindle in hand. We flip our mental switch and let the book speak life into us. But it doesn’t end there. For every idea that stick with me, I'll pen it down in my trusty notebook. Time after time, these ideas stack like a tower-high pancake breakfast.
When it’s time to write content, I’ll refer.
With a ton of ideas in hand, it makes me feel like a child standing before a shelf full of candy: spoilt for choice, each idea serves as a building block for the content I write, like this newsletter. Writing becomes an enjoyable process.
Every great idea comes from a moment of inspiration, and inspiration are the byproducts of information that we churned through the human blob — our brains. By journeying alongside the author, we find ourselves on a path towards a captivating story of where we are the main character.
Consider notable figures who have attested to this simple practice.
For one, Harry Truman. He assumed the mantle of presidency in the wake of his predecessor’s sudden death in April 1945. Without warning, he found himself confronted with the atomic era and the Cold War. Though unprecedented, Truman, an avid reader since a child, drew upon the wisdom from the books he read.
Or Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, and actor, who extols the impact of literature on his creative process. Miranda’s cultural phenomenon, Hamilton, sprouted from the biography he devoured about Alexander Hamilton. The ideas he read sparked creativity, unearthed diverse cultures and connects the sea of mental dots, before transforming into jaw-dropping musicals.
Every smart person I read about is a voracious reader who also says “every smart person I read about is a voracious reader”. A pattern emerges.
Do it once. Do it again. Then, do it thereafter.
I read this story from The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel that may interest you:
At least two thousand books are dedicated to how Warren Buffett built his fortune. Many of them were wonderful. But few pay enough attention to the simplest fact: Buffett’s fortune isn’t due to just being a good investor, but being a good investor since he was literally a child.
By the end of 2019, Warren Buffett’s net worth was about $84.5 billion. Of that, $84.2 billion was accumulated after his 50th birthday. $81.5 billion came after his mid 60s.
Warren Buffett is undeniably a world-class investor. Yet, we must not overlook a crucial point: the true essence of his success does not solely lie in his investment acumen, but in the commitment to investing over seventy-five years.
Buffett began serious investing when he was 10 years old. By the time he was 30 he had a net worth of $1 million (or $9.3 million adjusted for inflation).
What if instead of investing, he spent his time pursuing other passions, and by age 30 his net worth was $25,000? And let’s say that he went on to earn extraordinary returns (22% annually), but quit investing and retired at age 60 to play golf and spent time with his grandkids.
What would a rough estimate of his net worth be today?
Not $84.5 billion.
$11.9 million. 99% less than his actual net worth.
Effectively all of Warren Buffett’s financial success can be tied to the financial base he built in his pubescent years and the longevity he maintained in his geriatric years. And when you wonder why someone like Warren Buffett got so rich, we often overlook the key drivers of success.
His skill was investing, but his secret was time.
What seemed like small changes in growth can lead to mind blowing outcomes. This tends to surprise us - the results intuitively didn’t seem right because we prefer to think in linear terms rather than through exponential conditions. It’s humanly easier to process the math to 9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9 (81) than 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 (387420489).
And reading is much like that.
While you’re consistently reading with intent, the effects are intangible because it can’t be quantified. Rather, it is adding block after block of knowledge in your mind. It isn’t obvious how we’ve transformed till we can’t recognise ourselves. Buffett never knew his net worth would shoot up 99% over a decade, but one thing he was certain: he had to keep doing it.
An intimate exchange
The good thing is, unlike investing, you don’t have to wait decades for it to add value to your life. Reading, as I’ve written before, does something profound in you the moment you begin processing the text.
In one neurological study, researchers used brain scans to examine what happens inside people’s heads as they read fiction.
“Readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative”, reports Psychological Science. “Details about actions and sensation are captured from the text and integrated with personal knowledge from past experiences, mirroring those involved when people perform, imagine or observe similar real-world activities”.
Reading is by no means a passive exercise. The reader becomes the book. When you read, you undergo an intimate exchange with the author’s mind. It shapes you into someone new.
The type of books you read correlates with your evolving identity. Though it isn’t intuitive at first, it silently moulds your beliefs, values, and aspirations.
If you want to embody the identity of technologist, read technology books.
If you want to embody the identity of a thinker, read philosophy books.
If you want to embody a supercharged, dynamic, creative human being in the 21st century, read books that would challenge you to think differently and forces you to adopt a panoramic view of the world.
It’s not how much you read, but what you read. Think of it as a part of your fitness routine towards a healthy lifestyle. You do it consistently till you’re immobile or dead.
I’m won’t be recommending titles because everyone processes things differently, and that’s besides the point. But what I’ll say is this: you should direct all the energy on books that will stay with you after you put them down.
This means it’s not about quantity, but quality. Some books are, unfortunately, a waste of time. Other’s offer a wealth of knowledge that can only be found in them. Chase value, not amount.
No one, H.L. Mencken said, “gets anywhere in this world in any really and endurable manner without some recourse to books.” When you read, you are in it for the long haul.
The short of it?
To level up your creativity, you must be that voracious reader, for the words we consume become the palette from which we paint our creations. The more we read, the greater our arsenal of ideas, perspectives, and literary tools, enabling us to craft narratives that resonate with ourselves and others.
End of the day, we want to impact others with our words.
Nicholas Carr once said,
The words in books don’t just strengthen people’s ability to think abstractly; they enriched people’s experience of the physical world, the world outside the book.
My hope is that when my son evolves into an adult, he’ll reflect upon the books he’d read to aid him through life. For the world is complex beyond human understanding, we’ll need to find creativity in all places to stand out in this ultra-competitive world. And a good (and safe) place to start is between the pages.
Whether you’re running your venture, in the service industry, or an executive, you need ideas. Ideas of the game-changing do not appear like a lightbulb to your head. They first have to be inserted, processed, then utilised.
Chase the process of being a better human being: read. Read consistently, read widely. Somewhere within the lines, you may find the answer you’ve been searching for your entire life.
Be well,
MBT (@mathieubeth)
✍🏻 Writing Tip
✔️ Driver
I reference this term driver from the club I used to hit with at the driving range — the one with the longest shaft and the largest clubhead among the clubs in a golfer's bag. The driver is used to achieve maximum distance off the tee, with golfers aiming to hit the ball as far and as straight as possible, often with great power.
So what the heck does a golf club got to do with writing?
A driver is basically the overarching point you’re trying to make with your story. In the finale, you want to slam it hard on your readers with impact.
To explain, let’s reference the story I extracted from The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. This was the driver:
What seemed like small changes in growth can lead to mind blowing outcomes. This tends to surprise us - the results intuitively didn’t seem right because we prefer to think in linear terms rather than exponential conditions. It’s humanly easier to process the math to 9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9 (81) than 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 (387420489).
Go ahead and re-read the part on Warren Buffett. Instead of telling you what to think, Housel uses the story of Buffett’s investment success to logically guide you to come to the same understanding: if you do something consistently, the results could be exponential beyond human intuition. The paragraph above actually states the point. But it feels more like he comes to the conclusion with you rather than him telling you what to think.
Housel uses the case of Buffett’s investment strategy to drive home a point about consistent habits over time.
When you tell your story effectively, you can drive your audience to the same conclusion. By subtly changing the way they think, you have a more powerful impact than just telling them upfront. Leading someone to discover the key point themselves is incredibly influential.
Next time you’re writing, begin with a story, but intentionally weave in more and more details. Eventually, you’ll lead your audience to the overarching point. Bamp! Hole-in-one!
📸 Photography Tip
✔️ Look Up!
Or you could just shoot upwards. Photography, while finding the perfect composition, lighting or backdrop, is all about angles. The point you shoot from can transform the picture from a selfie-type of image to something a little more impactful.
Take for instance, this photo by me. It’s almost obvious that this was taken from a bottom-up angle, which means I was in prone position, and my friend towering over me with his leg almost touching my $5,000 camera.
The results? A little more interesting than the norm, as the shoe became the first subject point, followed by his leg leading up to his torso, then to his awkward face of perspiration.
Explore how different angles could augment your photographs. Top-down. Left-right. Right-left. Side-down? There are no rules. Experiment what’s best for your style.