Why Seek Out Wisdom?

One of my favorite quotes is from Sam Levinson, "You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself." This makes seeking out wisdom seem so logical. Compare two people, one who learns only from his own mistakes, and one who learns from both his and those of others. Which would you prefer as a counselor? Which would you prefer to have your life in his hands? Which would you prefer to be? Whether you are selecting a book to read, a friend to ask for advice, a class to take, or a leader to follow, seeking wisdom is a key step to your success. No one really is a self-made man. Everyone has learned from what they have been exposed to. So, expose yourself to that which improve your likelihood of success.

Another quote from Albert Einstein states that we can't solve problems with the same kind of thinking that created them. Makes sense, doesn't it? Doing the best we could so far got us here. Want to go someplace else? That will require doing better. How can we do better in the future than what was our best was in the past? It requires greater thinking. Not necessarily bigger, but better. Think that you are as good now as you'll ever be? Think again. You mind, your emotional awareness, your spirit can grow, be strengthened, and find hope. You are right now growing and changing into what you will become. You can determine what you'll become by deciding how you'll change. We believe reading to be a key ingredient in this process.

We recommend you look through our blog for books that speak to you, that sound like they have some wisdom to impart. Then read them, actively. Dig into them with focus. Take notes. Highlight. Find a friend to share them with. You don't have to purchase them. There are good libraries all over the place where you can get these books for free, or next to nothing on inter-library loan. Some you may want to purchase, so you can keep them in your library, or pass them along to a friend. Request them as gifts from those people who ask you what you want. Find a used bookstore where you can get a dogeared copy that someone else has already highlighted. One of the books I'll blog about cost me just 10 cents at a used book store, honestly. There is no correlation between what a book costs and how valuable you'll find it. Some will pay rich rewards, no matter what you pay for them.

We will always cite why we decided to read the books we review, and where we acquired a copy. Some books are from our personal library, some we've checked out of our local library, some we've gotten for free in exchange for an honest review of the material. We'll always let you know. Our comments belong to us, and will not be influenced by how we got the material. We request your comments about the books we review, whether you agree with us or don't. We also welcome your recommendations if there is something you think we'd like to read.

Happy reading!
Devon