I love to curl up with a good book. I’ve blogged before about my love for books and my passion for the written word. It’s my favourite form of escapism!

This week I’ve had a chance to curl up with several books. As I moved from one to the next I though about my lifelong habit of reading. It’s something I learned at my mother’s knee. Literally. She read to me and my siblings all the time. Or at least for as long as we could sit still. In primary school I used to love the end of the day. Especially when the nights were drawing in and the classroom became a cosy oasis of light against the dark outside the window. Before we went home the teacher would always read a story. I remember all of us sitting around her in a circle whilst the latest book was performed for us. I could drift away to another world and forget about the walk home in the dark.

There were fantastical stories, tales of adventure and warm, heartfelt plots about ordinary lives. As I grew older I found that I also enjoyed curling up in the library with factual books. Biographies, how to’s and why books. History, travel and instruction books. I discovered that there was an amazing amount of information between the covers of even the most ordinary titles. By the time I was in college I had discovered books about subjects I was learning. Books that were there to teach, enlighten, open my mind to some aspect of my world. I enjoyed curling ups with textbooks and lightening their impact with the odd funny or fiction book.

Then I discovered that many successful people also like to curl up with a good book. It isn’t always a work of fiction but reading books definitely features in their top ten habits.

What a great reason to read. Spending time finding out new stuff, indulging my imagination and relaxing can all help me be successful. Actually I have to say it’s also true. When I began to experience contact from the Spirit World the first thing I did was threw myself into a reading frenzy. I took every opportunity to curl up with books about the history of the Spiritualist Movement. Biographies and autobiographies of mediums, some well known, some not. Plenty of how to books. Even more that seemed to be how not to books. And a very wide ranging selection of books about the evidence for or against mediumship. I loved it. Because I know it is my preferred way of exploring anything new.

However, as with anything that requires action, I ended up putting the books down. Whilst I love reading it can’t replace actual experience. It’s exactly the same with the internet. Virtual worlds are fab (or not so fab if you’re running away from living your life) but they don’t pay the bills (unless you have sold them to others). So at some point what all successful people do is put their knowledge into practice. They go and have experiences. The live their lives. I knew that I couldn’t just curl up with a book about mediumship and have the sort of experiences I wanted. After all, I was hoping to feel, sense, see or hear Spirit people for myself. I feel I have been very successful with doing that. It’s become my passion.

Finally, I believe that books open our minds. I like to encourage people to curl up with a book. Let it inspire, teach or entertain you whilst you work out how to apply your abilities to being successful in what you do. So, what are you going to read next?

Day 704 of my blogging challenge