Habits are behaviors that are repeated, over-and-over, on a daily basis. These habits have much more of a direct impact on our lives than any dream, aspiration, or goal could ever wish to. Aside from meditation, in my thirty-four years of trying to become a better version of myself, I’ve found no more useful habit than a daily reader (or aptly several). A daily reader is a book with a different, dedicated passage to read every day throughout the year.
It’s so easy to shrug off something so deceptively simple but devoting just five minutes of your day to the proper daily reader can be life-changing. Once you begin researching these books you’ll see there’s no shortage of choices, they come in any philosophical and spiritual flavor you can imagine. The key is finding the one(s) that you connect with on a deep, personal level and you feel are adding something positive to your life. Once you find a book you really connect with there’s a greater chance you’ll stick with it and it won’t become a bore. I think of the daily infusion of wisdom to add up overtime a little like compound interest.
After about a week or two of adding this habit to your daily routine you’ll find you begin to look forward to it. If you miss a day you’ll realize the value reading and reflecting on the daily passage adds to your life.
One particular book that has been by my side faithfully for over thirty years is a daily reader by author Deng Ming-Dao called, “365 Tao: Daily Meditations”. This book, for me, is pure perfection. Almost from day one it was as though the daily passages began to part the veil and open my eyes as I go about this dream of life. Each passage reveals the playful and simplistic inner workings of the universe, the matrix, or whatever higher power it is you believe in. The passages seem to reveal different layers and take on new meanings when I reread them each year. This book is ethereal, nurturing, philosophical, wispy, heartfelt, and speaks directly to the soul.
Another book that I’ve found to be an excellent counterbalance to the ethereal nature of 365 Tao is The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. I added this daily reader to my rotation in 2022 and have found it just as helpful as 365 Tao in different ways. The Daily Stoic is more about pragmatic and highly effective ways of reframing how we think about our lives in this physical world. Organized by different themes like clarity, self-control, and acceptance, The Daily Stoic encourages us to cultivate our inner strength and navigate challenges with calm and purpose. This book takes a more grounded, philosophical, and practical approach to daily living. The Daily Stoic speaks more to the intellect than it does to the soul.
During these tumultuous and mercurial times we’re living in it’s so important to have some kind of an anchor in our lives to keep us sane, optimistic, and grounded. This is precisely the role daily readers can play. If you feel like your life could use a little more purpose and direction I’d encourage you to give a daily reader a try. After thirty-four years it’s difficult for me to imagine my life without them.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
It' is both amazing and interesting how much our habits influence our lives without us even noticing.
It seeps into the subconscious and then it's just like we're on autopilot.
I need something that I can access on my phone or get pushed to me on a daily basis. I think I would be more likely to make it a habit if that were the case.
I'd be surprised if something like that hasn't been created. I'd love to create a companion app to my book Mindful Moments that does that. I really should explore getting that done now.
Yeah, that would be pretty cool!
It is interesting to see the power that certain habits have over us, especially reading, because beyond the pleasure it can bring us, it has the ability to transform us, to open a window that, once opened, no one can ever close. I am a creature of routine, not to mention habit, and among the things I do every day is read before going to bed. It is as if reading opens a portal to sleep and dreams, those that await us in other universes. A hug for you, Eric
I'm the same way, Nancy. I tend to wrap myself in in the comfort of routines/rituals more during challenging times. Reading is the best way to drift off at night. I used to do that but now my reading time is in the afternoon, before dinner. It's been nice this summer because when it's not raining I read outside on the deck. Thank you and I hope your week's been a a good one!
Habit can really be a superpower. I used to have a copy of 365 Tao.. Daily Meditation. But somewhere along all our moves it got given away. Might be time to get another copy.
It sure can. The more of the good habits we can program into our subconscious mind, the better. I think I'm on my fourth copy of 365! I've worn a few out and lost one during a move somehow. Life is just better when I read a passage from it every day.
Wow that is some going lol! We all want things for a better life, and it's great when we find what works for us.
Lord I sometimes envy those who can maintain rigid schedules and life rituals..
I've got good streaks and bad days that last for weeks.. Mood stabilizers are worse when you've tried 3 or 4 of them and all of them made you act off.
Off to begin with, but I try to balance as much as I can.
Have you tried meditation?
Used to do that. doesn't do anything anymore sadly.
The daily reading is a habit that I need to develop, again! All my books are packed away in boxes, hoping to move in by month end!
I bet you miss it! Absence really does make the heart grow fonder when it comes to some things. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to get completely through this transition. I hope you're doing well. Our renovation blitz is starting next week and should be all done by Mid November. Pray for us. : )
Thank you for giving me more to add to my pile of book shame. I have an upcoming post about that. This year, I've read so many books, and I plan to keep this up for as long as the universe allows me to draw breath.
I don't have a reading ritual as such, but I read a lot. I started reading Ubik by Philip K Dick last night, and having read only Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by the same author... I am going to need to make more shelf space, immediately - because his books threaten me with hours of uninterrupted reading, and the danger of a book becoming a short story - because... they are not thrillers, but they are somehow page turners.
Pile of book shame! Lol. I can't wait to have this house put together so I can get all mine on bookshelves. I've read more this year than ever before too. I feel so much better when I'm learning.
It's amazing when you find an author's work you click with like that. It adds a whole new dimension of enjoyment to reading. I plan on trying to find a nice set of copies of the Foundation series once I get my reading room put together.
Damn tricky to keep up a habit, even something as "easy" as 5 minutes can be tremendously hard to find room for. Maybe there's a tendency also to resist good things because something in us doesn't trust the powerful effect they have? I don't know, but have been thinking about this a fair bit myself :) nice reading list.
I know! Lack of trust plays a huge role, I think. For me it's all about the repetition of it. If I can keep something up for a couple of weeks and begin to experience the value in it I can usually keep going. Thanks, The Myth of Normal has just been phenomenal. Baudrillard, a bit more challenging, but I'm getting through it and enjoying it.
Habits are so important. Only with habits can the typical person succeed.
Habits can be a superpower, to be sure.
It strikes me as I read this that your habit of anchoring your day in a daily reading is essentially what my mother did with her morning prayer. Many of us may know people who are religious. My mother wasn't religious. She was devout. She found solace and inspiration in prayer. She was the only person I knew who had callouses on her knees from praying. She was also the only person I ever knew who never, ever said a bad word about anyone.
Except for asking us to pray with her every night, briefly, she was quiet about prayer, but I could see her throughout the day anchoring herself. The wisdom wasn't in a book. It was in her head and in her heart.