Charlie Says...

 If you are reading on a smartphone, use landscape / hold phone sideways. 

Starting in the mid-19th century United States, newspaper street vendors would shout "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" when selling newspapers. This became a catchphrase often used to introduce events into a narrative in films.

When I was growing up, "Reading Is Fundamental" was a very popular catchphrase. Instilling a love of reading early gives a child a head start on expanding their vocabulary and building independence and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense not only of the world around them but also people, building social-emotional skills and of course, imagination. 

Why is reading good for you? Reading is good for you because it improves your focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills. It can reduce stress, improve your mental health, and help you live longer. Reading also allows you to learn new things to help you succeed in your work and relationships. 

Reading is important because it develops your mind and gives you excessive knowledge and lessons of life. It helps you understand the world around you better. It keeps your mind active and enhances your creative ability. Also, reading improves your vocabulary and develops your communication skills.

My Sunday Blog today is in memory of one of my heroes, Charlie Munger, who passed away this week.

"I think a life properly lived is just learn, learn, learn all the time."

"You should never, when faced with one unbelievable tragedy, let one tragedy increase into two or three because of a failure of will."

"Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Systematically you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. Nevertheless, you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve."

"It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent." 

"Take a simple idea, and take it seriously." 

"I see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up and boy does that help." 

"I didn't get to where I am by going after mediocre opportunities." 

"I want to think about things where I have an advantage over others. I don't want to play a game where people have an advantage over me. I don't play in a game where other people are wise and I am stupid. I look for a game where I am wise, and they are stupid. And believe me, it works better. God bless our stupid competitors. They make us rich." 

And finally:

"I am not smart enough to make decisions with no time to think. I make actual decisions very rapidly, but that's because I have spent so much time preparing ourselves by quietly reading."

— Charlie Munger

Ah yes, reading. 

In his 50s, after a failed eye cataract surgery that rendered his left eye blind, Munger had his left eye removed due to severe pain. When doctors told him that he had developed a condition that may cause his remaining eye to fill up with blood and become blind too, Munger started taking braille lessons. The eye condition eventually receded and he kept eyesight in his right eye for the rest of his life. To one of the most wealthy men in the world - his most precious thing in his life - much more than money - was reading. 

For years, I ran MyTeachingPartners.com which was bought by the Distance Learning Association in 2010. Since 2012 we have been advocates of Distance Learning becoming DIGITAL Learning, and now, we feel it is all just DIGITAL LIVING. It only hit me last week, that reading is the key to education - reading is the key to lifelong learning. 

Reading is the key to quality of life. 

This month, we launched our partnership with Perlego making their online library of books, academic texts and tools (trusted by students worldwide) a value-added member benefit of the DLA. The idea for Perlego was born when the founders were struggling with the cost of textbooks as students. From that first search for a more affordable alternative, Perlego has grown into a business that is breaking down the barriers to education for students globally.

Ah yes. Unlimited access to millions of textbooks. Read from anywhere, on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Helping another human being to know more, to do more, to be more. 

I think that good ol' Charlie Munger would approve. 

www.JoinNYDLA.org