We are often advised since our childhood days by many individuals to read more books. This will increase our literacy level (which is true) and enable us to be more knowledgeable (which is also true). However, there is something that is often not highlighted to us, which is the fact that mere reading of books and not practising the good practices highlighted in the story often affects our well-being in life.

When we read a story, we are entertained. However, values held by the lead characters and their positive behaviour are often ignored. Save for literature students who explore the various characters of stories in vivid details, the rest of us usually ignore the characteristics of characters but place our focus on the main storyline. For readers of self-help books, most of them might practise what they have observed but usually, not all of them do.

So, why do most of us not apply what we have gathered from stories and self-help books in our lives? Well, the first reason is already mentioned above. Not many realise the benefits of application.  Another reason is due to the fact that it often requires more effort in understanding the characters of the stories than merely reading the story itself.

However, if we are able to internalise the positive values and messages from books by applying the concepts and behaviour in our lives, we can improve our lives tremendously. Just think of giving others respect and practising thriftiness are two examples that illustrate the positive effects of applying good values and concepts from books. It is also through the application of positive concepts in our lives that we transform knowledge into wisdom. And ultimately, wisdom is the more valuable of the two.

But books are not the only source that you can learn from. Observe the behaviours and reactions of characters from movies and dramas. Observe individuals in your daily lives. Note the positive aspects of their speech and behaviour and see if you can apply it in your own lives. Writing a personal journal to self-reflect is also a very good practice.

So, start practising from today.

Observe, analyse and apply the positive aspects of life in your life.