Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement

BEATING THE DRUM
Some years ago, I had a good friend who read very little. He was
not convinced that reading would make any difference to his life
or income. He had gotten out of the habit of reading after he left
school. He argued with me that reading wasn’t that important.
Meanwhile, he struggled to make a living. He was continually
frustrated. He was continually losing business to his better-
informed competitors.
For almost three years, I kept at him, encouraging him to begin
daily reading. Finally, he gave in and began to read each morning,
just for a few minutes. He was amazed at how helpful the reading
was, and how much more knowledgeable he was when he spoke to
his clients.
He soon began reading, as I had recommended, an hour per
day, one book per week. Within a year, his income had doubled. Af-
ter two years, his income doubled again. Today he is one of the
highest-paid people in his field. And he is proud to tell me every
time I see him that he very seldom meets a client who is as well in-