How to Absorb Books Above Your Reading Level in 7 Easy Steps
There’s a quote I love that goes:
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
Years ago, I only read best-selling self-help books, the usual suspects “Think and Grow Rich,” “Richest Man in Babylon,” “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” “The Millionaire Next Door,” “Cash Flow Quadrant,” “Secrets of The Millionaire Mind,” etc. If you haven’t figured it out, I was trying to get rich.
After a while, I felt stagnant. The books were great and helpful, but I started to get too comfy with the material.
There came the point where I knew the material intuitively. And frankly, I started to not pay much attention to it.
Then one day, I visited downtown Toronto and stopped by its Reference Library. The Toronto Reference Library is the largest and most visited branch of the Toronto Public Library. I started cruising around different sections within — Philosophy, African Studies, Architecture, Art, Literature, Science, Technology, History, and Biography; the more I moved through various areas, the more I realized I had plateaued on what I was currently reading.
I realized I was cheating myself out of the joy of reading widely. Instead, I was limiting my curiosity.
Malcolm X once said, “I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”
The funny thing is once you read a lot, you discover how ignorant you are — as there is so much to know. So I decided after exploring that massive library I would read widely. So I upped my game and read books I wasn’t familiar with, books on different viewpoints and with more depth.
Reading “advanced” books requires treating your brain like a muscle — lifting the subjects with the most tension and weight, giving you mental strength.
There more I read this way, the easier I found reading books above my reading level. Of course, there are still many books I am not ready to read, but I apply the same seven-step approach when I am prepared to read them.
So here are 7 Steps to help you read above your current reading level:
Step 1: Believe in yourself.
It sounds simple, but the belief that you can read well is the starting point. I never read many “hard” books because I thought they were too difficult. The perceived difficulty made me place a self-imposed limitation on what I could do.
I realized the thick books all look complex, but the easiest way to read them is a page at a time, and soon enough, the book will be done. Once I believed I could finish the books in small steps, the possibility of being able to finish was easy.
Most things in life are mindset first, skillset second.
If you have faith in your abilities, it makes the next steps easier.
Step 2: Forget everything but the message and how to apply it to your life.
With books above your reading level, you dont have to remember exact dates, events, or names. The reason why is because you aren’t getting tested for them. Suppose you are reading for leisure or business; it’s best to focus on what you need.
For example, a book like “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley resonated with me because a man who is the same race as I am broke through the limitations that society placed upon him and transformed himself and the world in the process. Malcolm did so through reading, organizing, leading, inspiring others, and having the courage to be outspoken. And that matters in my life.
Remember, you don’t have to memorize the material; you just have to understand it, and when you do, it becomes easier to digest.
Step 3: Read the reviews.
Before I read a challenging book, I check out reviews online. These reviews give me a glimpse of what to expect. Of course, ultimately, my opinion on it is what will matter, but reading other thoughts can challenge my confirmation bias if I favor the book.
Reviews help paint a picture of the book and can decide whether or not you start the book. An excellent source for book reviews is goodreads.com.
Step 4: Begin with the end.
When I start advanced books, I check out the end. This way, I know what happens, and I dont get intimidated by the subject matter. Wikipedia is great for this.
Spoiling the end of the book helps me find the meaning of the book and whether I agree with it.
Funny enough, sometimes knowing the end of the book makes me more excited to read what happens to lead to the final events.
Step 5: Look up what you don’t understand on Google or Youtube.
We live in the greatest time in history when it comes to information. In the palm of your hands via a smartphone, you have access to more info than the wealthiest kings in history, with their army of advisors. The key is if you will use it wisely. Reading complex material is easy as typing what you don’t understand into Google or Youtube — and down the rabbit hole, you go.
I firmly believe Youtube and Google are the best universities going as the info you research will leave you well informed.
Step 6: Read One Book from the bibliography, or read the articles from the reference notes.
Inside most books are usually a reading list or reference notes where the author was inspired to create the material.
If you select one book or reference article from the notes you read, you will be surprised by how deep your knowledge can get on a topic. The more you read about a subject, the more you get familiar with it and understand the nuances.
Step 7: Apply what you learn in real life.
When you read material that challenges you — apply it by talking about it, teaching it, or using the material in some way, shape, or form as soon as possible.
The sooner you use it, the sooner you can access your understanding. You will be surprised how astute you will become.
Throughout the book’s reading, make sure you take notes and reread what you underlined or highlighted. Rereading reinforces the material in your head.
So remember:
Step 1: Believe in yourself.
Step 2: Forget everything but the message and how to apply it to your life.
Step 3: Read the reviews.
Step 4: Begin with the end.
Step 5: Look up what you don’t understand on Google or Youtube.
Step 6: Read One Book from the bibliography, or read the articles from the reference notes.
Step 7: Apply what you learn in real life.
Let me know if these seven steps work out for you.
Happy Reading.
Top Writer in Reading *Toronto Born *Brooklyn Raised *Family Man *Writer *Tradesman *Reading Coach *Student of Life. Check me out at https://linktr.ee/Teronie
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