Random Thoughts
I love reading. I schedule two to three days out of the months and a full week every year devoted to reading books. I read various other postings each day, whether they are news articles, blogs, tweets, or Facebook posts. Nothing beats a book for depth and thought-provoking ideas.
For the past couple of years I’ve concentrated on business books and noticed a pattern, one I remember from my early college years. Every subject, whether business, philosophy, religion, or science repeats its ideas ad nauseam for a particular period. Each new iteration aims to refine previous concepts, but doesn’t. It simply repeats it in a slightly different language.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe new ideas emerge…just not every six months. I’ve now read half a dozen different books about how to better communicate in-person: by asking many questions, focusing on the other person, and repeating the answer to demonstrate that you understand the other person. This is not new. These are regurgitated concepts that I first learned from my college psychology classes. I’m sure they weren’t new then either.
When I hit these new-idea-dry-spells for a particular topic, I know I’ve read enough on the subject and I need to move on. I’m just about there with most self-improvement books, especially about how to better communicate or manage your time.
What’s next? I don’t know. May be a trek back to physics, astronomy, dog training, creativity or poker.
What Do You Think?
Do you sometimes get tired of some book or discussion subjects? How do you get past it? Share your thoughts below.
Photo Credits: kevindooley