You are what you read

Lifestyles are evolving at a much greater pace than our digestive systems, and so as the obesity epidemic spreads across the developed world, people are taking more and more notice of the nutritional value of the foods they eat. Heck, even McDonalds openly tell you that a box of fries has as much fat in them as an equal weighting of lard. How do they do that? The miracle of food science.

Now as we know as readers of this blog, our mind and body are one system. What affects one affects the other, so Gillian is of course right to say that what we eat affects both physical and mental health. Give the brain the right nutrients, manage your insulin levels properly and there is a very high chance that you will feel better, happier and more alert.

So I wonder how much your mind affects your body? Lots of course, just imagine yourself eating a lovely, fresh, crunchy bit of fruit, with the juice spilling across your tongue and splashing against your gums and you will notice that you're salivating more, purely as your mind influences your body.

So if you are what you take in nutritionally, surely you are also what you take in mentally?

Of course, every thing we read, hear and see affects our mental state, and hence our physical state. That's one reason why I take news reports and newspapers with a pinch of salt - bad news sells, and it's not a fair reflection of what is going on in the world.

So I wonder if you ever consider the nutritional information of the TV you watch and the books that you read in the same way as you would with a food item you are thinking of buying when you are conscious of your physical health, perhaps wanting to get fitter or lose a few inches round the middle?

What you watch, listen to and read affects who you are, remember, you become what you think about, most of the time.

So do you ever think about who and what you want to be? And think about what you should be watching, reading and listening to, to become that person?

And it doesn't take much, let's say you read a book that supports your goals for 1 hour a day, on the train, over lunch, in the bath, before you go to bed. You would read about a book a week.

That's 52 books a year. Even if each book only had ONE point that gave you a new skill, outlook or positive viewpoint, that's 52 changes in a single year. Within 2 years you would be one of the most knowledgable people in your field. Within ten years you would accumulate more learning and knowledge from experts in their field than most people gain in their whole lives.

For just one hour a day, your life could be ten times better in one year.

Now I'm not saying ditch all of those novels and start reading text books... I'm saying think about where you want to be, and start reading around the subjects, learn from the experts and you can still enjoy your novels. Heck, I'm not telling you to do anything. I do, however, know that one surefire way to get paid more is to know more. The more you learn, the more you earn, and most people are happy to stop learning when they leave school or university.

You are what you read. Read the same stuff you always read and you'll always be the person you always have been. As the half-life of knowledge becomes shorter and shorter it is the people with a thirst for knowledge and the ability to read and learn that reach the top.

You become what you read. What do you want to be tomorrow that you could read about today?