PhotobucketGreetings, gentle reader. Did you know that right now, right this very minute, you're doing something that puts you ahead of 80% of the other people in America? You're reading.

Yep! That's right. Just by the fact that you're reading puts you at the head of the pack when it comes to finding success. Those who succeed, read.

Where did this number come from? It turns out that 80% of American's never pick up a book after high school. You might be part of that 80%, I have to admit. There's no guarantee that you've read anything after high school, either. You may just be here by accident.

Isn't that number astounding, though? That means that only 20% of people do any serious reading after high school. Without serious reading, how can there be serious learning?

As a Clickincome mentor, learning is a big deal for me. It's my stock and trade. I teach Clickincome clients stuff about building and marketing websites. I do my best to help them learn it. Some of them do well, others don't. It's the nature of business.

One thing I've noticed when dealing with successful Clickincome clients, and any successful entrepreneur for that matter, is that they enjoy reading. They're constantly teaching themselves new things, keeping their minds sharp, and applying what they learn to their lives and businesses.

I have quite a book collection. Two walls in my basement are literally covered with bookshelves. Both my wife and I are avid readers. When we were dating we had countless conversations about books, the stories we read, and what we were currently reading. We exchanged books as well as kisses. It was great!

What's interesting is when friends and neighbors see our collection. They say things like, "Wow! You've got quite a collection here."

"Thanks!" I'll reply.

"How many of these have you actually read, though?" they ask.

"Almost all of them," I reply.

The look of disbelief on their faces is amazing.

We've tried to pass that love of reading on to our children, too. Part of my basement includes a small section is devoted to children's books. We call it the "reading nook." It has a light and a chair so my kids can go there and read books to their heart's content. It's worked, too. Sometimes I have to tell my daughter to turn out the light in her bedroom and quit reading for the evening, just so she can get some sleep.

Even though my kids read mostly fiction, that's not what I recommend everyone read all the time. I actually have a "genre" list that I cycle through. It's just a list of book types. By hitting each "genre," one after another, it helps me make sure that I'm reading on a broad range of topics, not just one. I like to think it keeps me well read and well rounded.

Food keeps me well rounded, too, but that's another story.

When reading for learning, to train yourself to do the things your Clickincome website, or any other business, requires you to be able to do correctly, you want to concentrate on books that will help you find success. I always recommend that my Clickincome clients find great books on business, the Internet, time and life management, cash flow, marketing, finance, and then read them. I've read each one of them. In some cases I've read them more than once. More important than reading them, though, is implementing what you learn from them. You want to DO what you READ.

Even though I've read a lot, I'm constantly on the lookout for other good books I can learn from. When I find a good book I want to read, but I'm currently reading something else, I write it down. I actually have lists of books that I want to read, broken up by genre. When I'm done reading a book in a particular genre, I take it off my list, and then look up the books in the next genre list and go find them. That way I'm not distracting myself with every tantalizing view of a pretty book cover that comes my way. I'm always reading those books that I WANT to read and, I feel, will do me good.

Here's a list of books I think you business people should read, in no particular order. I've read all of them. There are a few more that I need to read. Three of them are by the same author. I admit. That shows a personal bias on my part.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People- by Steven Covey

First Things First - also by Steven Covey

Principle Centered Leadership - again, by Steven Covey

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - by Robert Kiyosaki

The Millionaire Next Door - by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management - by Hyrum W. Smith.

Who Moved my Cheese? - by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard

A New Guide to Better Writing - by Rudolf Flesch & A.H. Lass (This one's out of print, I think, but you can still find it online and in some used book stores. It was also published under the title "The Way to Write.")

Enjoy your reading! More importantly, implement what you read.

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