04.Tools-I-Reading

Why reading can transform your life

For many people, reading represents their first real encounter with themselves.
This was the case for me as well.
It was she who opened a window in my mind, who ignited the desire to explore, to understand, to write.

Reading, even today, is pure nourishment.
It is one of the simplest, deepest and most accessible ways to begin to know oneself.

Where to start reading to get to know each other

But what to read to really get to know each other?
And where to start?

Start with what matters to you:
a curiosity, an inspiration, a gift ... or a problem.

Are you angry? Are you sad? Do you feel frustrated or confused?
Or are you simply curious to learn more about a topic?
Has someone given you a book as a gift?

It is often from these emotions-or small gestures-that the desire to approach reading is born.

Emotions as a compass

Stop and ask yourself:

• How does my everyday life unfold?

• What are my activities, my emotions, my needs?

• What do I need to do? What do I want to do?

• Where have I looked so far for solutions, for answers?

• What message does the person who gave me this book have for me?

• What led you to give me this gift?

Every book is a mirror: choose what speaks to you

The first reading, it's you.
Your feeling. Your thoughts.

Then explore.
Use the means you have. Ask a friend, a bookseller, or even artificial intelligence.

Tell how you feel and look for a reading recommendation that can speak to you.
Listen to podcasts, read novels, essays, biographies.
Let the words of others resonate within you, and help you find your own.

There is no one right way.
There is yours.

Reading is a silent dialogue

Maybe a book read today will tell you something you would not have picked up on a year ago.
Maybe a paragraph will illuminate a shadowy area you had hidden.

Reading is a subtle dialogue:
between you and the author, but also between you and your inner world.

Irvin Yalom, in his work The Gift of Therapy, emphasizes the power of storytelling as an avenue of introspection:

"Stories help us heal, because by reading others' stories we can transform our own."

A first tool, now more than ever

Read...
Yes, it really is the first tool, now more than ever, in a world like ours.

But what do I mean by "a world like ours today"?

To be continued...

Sources of inspiration

• Irvin D. Yalom - The gift of therapy

• Daniel Pennac - Like a Novel