Congrats! Here you are, finally! You took your first step. But what does that mean? It means you have taken a sincere attempt to read the whole article ‘cos, hey, you want to read books, right!

You know, somebody had said, “Kitaabe bahut si padhi hogi tumne, magar koi chehra bhi tumne padha hai?” (Translation – You might have read a lot of books, but have you ever read a face?)

To which I said, “Duh, bro I haven’t read enough books, why being so judgmental??”

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Sigh. Jokes apart, books have taken an ideal place in my life. Though, to reach this point, it took me years to understand –

“A room without books is a body without a soul.” An old classic by Cicero.

Honestly, books take me to another world. For me, they are the most prized possessions and my best friends.

To begin with, this all started, post my college days. I was never a reader. I, like every non-reader, was uninterested in turning the papers pretending to be a patient reader. Little did I know, things were going to change eventually. When I started preparing for a competitive exam, I was heaped with the burden of flipping through reading books. It was tough but had to read for the sake of the English section. Initially, it was boring to even go through four pages, and the idea sounded monotonous. I couldn’t keep my eyes open for longer periods.

With each book, I felt it wasn’t striking my reading chord at all. Feeling frustrated, I thought,” Maybe I am not meant for this; books aren’t as good as they sound to be.” Aghast in the thoughts of losing the left interest, I felt exhausted. I felt a faint urge to consider skipping them. But the voice didn’t let me, ‘cos well you know, the curriculum.

I had no option but to keep going.

In the process, it didn’t click me, but I’d started to like the way I used to hold these reading books. It’s a good feeling. And one random day, for the first time, it struck me I could become an avid reader. It was a good read. You know, that day I realized (late but yeah), selection does matter. And that’s when I understood the power of good storytelling.

Gradually, I got fond of this new habit. It was a new world. A world where dreams grew, and peace resided. A relationship where no one was there to interrupt or misunderstand you. The only space was the space for books. It’s thrilling to complete one book after another. And this has kept me moving. I never turned back. Books have changed me a lot, and to lay the foundation, I took my experience as an example.

But the question still stays, how can books change you?

Relax and Skim/glide through these 9 points to decide for yourself.

1. Perspective – Books are a bundle of wisdom—the type you choose and read plays a big role in molding your thought process. Reading books of different genres and authors can impact your thinking in a dramatic way. With every book, your brain expands a little more, and you get exposed to a gamut of new angles, ideas, and insights.

2. Imagination – If you are not aware, let me tell you, books amplify your visual imagination to a huge extent. Even if you are a bad visualizer, trust me when you read a book, you imagine situations in your own way. This doesn’t come as a surprise; we as social beings love to put ourselves and overthink about things that have or could happen.

3. Knowledge – They come in all sizes, types, genres, but one thing about books is, the more you read, the more you gain from them. It is simply impossible not to receive anything from a book that you pick. Books are blessings.

4. Grammar and Vocabulary – Believe it or not, this one is going to make you look cool in the long run. In today’s world, communication is the key to networking. When you have a good command of a worldwide accepted language, it becomes an added advantage for you. Reading, without a doubt, helps in building grammar and vocab. And these, in turn, help in building your confidence.

5. Patient – Building patience is a big milestone in one’s life. With patience, anyone can achieve anything. And patience can be achieved by developing the habit of reading. Initially, it can get monotonous for many to concentrate, but this goes away with time. To speak the truth, reading and patience are interdependent. And to build patience is to build yourself. That’s why we say ‘Patience is a great art of virtue.’

6. Focus – Not only reading grows your patience, but it also builds your focus. Reading books over longer periods has been found to be meditative and healing in nature. You become more involved in one activity, creating more focus and awareness.

7. Calmth – Books make you calm. How? If you can achieve patience, then calm is synonymous with being patient. Two strong traits formed by reading books. Isn’t it awesome?

8. Writing – There’s a high probability if you are an avid reader, you can become a great storyteller or writer. It takes a lot of reading and experiencing in life to be able to magically outspeak your mind. Everyone has the ingredient of one’s life story. Reading is the other ingredient that can help shape your stories and make them worth sharing.

9. Confidence – With each above trait, you begin to see a beautiful change in your personality. Your confidence sparkles in your attitude. It makes you more desirable and approachable for better opportunities in life.

Come what may remember, it’s a process, you can’t start loving books in one day. You have to build a relationship to reach that level of comfort, and the day when you do, you’ll come to know by yourself.

Books are not only the medium of knowledge, stories, and imagination but much more than that. There is a sprinkle of magic in every book. When you take it in your hand, you are bound to get some on your hands too.

And you get to learn something from each story. Books have made me a better person. It will make you too.

So, when are you planning to start?