Reading is not as easy as some people make it look. There’s this idea that once you “love books,” everything just flows, you pick one up, get hooked, and finish it in a few days. But that’s not always the reality. Sometimes the hardest part is even finding a book that genuinely speaks to you. So what happens? We buy books. We get gifted books. And then they sit there. Quietly collecting dust. I’ve been guilty of both, so this is not me pointing fingers (laughs out loud).
The truth is, just because you love reading literature be it fiction or non-fiction doesn’t mean everybody else does. And even for those of us who do, it’s not always consistent. Reading is a valuable habit, yes, but it’s also one that requires intention. It doesn’t just happen, you have to choose it, over and over again.
Let me be honest for a second. There have been times when I’ve looked up and realized that months had passed without me finishing a single book. Not because I didn’t want to, but life happened. I would read a few excerpts here and there, maybe a chapter or two, but nothing completed. And somehow, that unfinished feeling lingers.
So I made a decision. In 2025, I told myself I would read at least one book every month. It sounded simple, but it wasn’t always easy. Some months, I read three books back-to-back, fully immersed. Other months, even finishing one felt like work. And if you’re like me and you love reading only hard copies and original copies, then you already know that this kind of commitment will test your pocket too (laughs). But I kept going anyway.
From January 2025 to December 2025, I stayed consistent. Not perfect, but intentional. No month passed without me making that conscious decision to read something. And honestly, that’s what mattered the most, not the number of books, but the discipline of returning to reading again and again.
Reading does something to your mind. It stretches it. It sharpens it. It makes you curious in ways you didn’t expect. I’ve found myself reading books in areas I have no background in; science, for example and somehow, it still pulls me in. It makes you want to know more, to understand more, to see the world differently.
That’s why I always tell people: start with what you love. If you enjoy humor, read funny books. If you like romance, go there. If it’s thrillers, motivation, poetry, anything, start there. Because once your mind gets used to that rhythm, it begins to crave more. Reading becomes less of a task and more of a pull.
And beyond just ourselves, I think about the environment we create. One thing I strongly believe in is having a mini library at home. Not anything fancy, just a visible presence of books. Let children grow up seeing them. Let it feel normal. Because sometimes, what a child sees consistently shapes what they value.
It’s easy to tell a child, “Go and read your book,” but then when last did we intentionally walk into a bookstore to get something for ourselves? Not as a gift. Not because it’s required. But simply because we want to read.
Reading may not always be easy, but it is worth it. Every single time.