Reading a book has never hurt me in any way.

True, reading another book or another post can’t hurt.

But it can stall.

The question is simple: are you motivated?

If not, then you can read yet another self-help book that echoes the same message over and over.

If yes, then stop reading. You’ve read it all before, and you know it.

Save some time and money and go do something.

No matter how inflated education is nowadays (I’m dying to see what the education industry will come up with once MBA’s fall into the commodity category), it always establishes graduations. When you graduate it means “you are done.”

Note: I also think that a degree lasts as long as the marketing heads of an institution think they can charge you, not as long as it should, but that’s a whole other post.

Most people that go through a degree in its entirety, develop some sort of rejection for information and culture. They believe that that’s what their degree was for, and now they can “relax.”

Disconnecting relaxation from growth is a serious disadvantage. When learning is limited to a specific period of time, it becomes a burden instead of a pleasure or a need.

Coming home from a walk yesterday, I saw many people graduating and partying in the street. I can assure you, you could see the expression in their eyes: “I’m never picking up a book again.”

Sad.

True education does not need to be imposed, does not expire and it certainly does not have any finish lines.

True education is a component of our everyday activity.

I know that most of the readers of this blog don’t have this problem, but most of the people outside of the online community of learners do think this way.

Those are the ones that need to embrace a holistic vision of intellectual growth.

Spread the word.

You can’t feel cold, or pain, or goosebumps vicariously. Someone can tell you what it’s like, but it’s meaningless until you go through it.

Same goes for wisdom.

Reading more won’t make you wiser. Its purpose is to spark action.

You need to write for yourself, ask for yourself, do for yourself.

No action, no wisdom.

The backlash to this information explosion, is that we may feel we’re moving forward by consuming more text and video, when we are actually staying still.

Any guy who starts his own company knows more than you ever will by reading all those entrepreneurship blogs.

Any girl who becomes location independent knows more about that lifestyle than you ever will by reading Tim Ferris.

Any family man who’s been fired knows more about how to survive the economic meltdown than you ever will by reading The Economist.

Reading only gets you so far, because you can’t fail reading; you’re not risking anything.

Wisdom comes with risks, with execution.

That’s why it’s scarce, that’s why it’s worth it.

Books make you smart.

There’s too much fragmentation and topic diversification for blogs to leave the kind of mark a book does.

Yes, they are complementary, but if you are lacking time, choose books.

One book trumps a hundred posts every time.

Last thought: This is why I suggest reading philosophy books. If you must be smart at one thing, have it be at questioning things.

People rate higher books than movies.

There’s a simple reason for this: books demand more time and energy.

After watching a bad movie, is common to say “This was a complete waste of time”.

After reading a book? Not so much.

Because we force ourselves to like it. Even if we don’t, we defend more a crappy book than a crappy movie. All that work can’t have been in vain.

But what if it is?

The interesting part is that this can apply to almost anything.

The more time they dedicate to you, the more they will defend you.

Not because you are great, you don’t have to be. They just don’t want to look stupid regretting it.

Bottom Line: It doesn’t matter what your audience spends time on, as long as they do it.

Not so fast.

First of all, business transparency (a must) is not the same as personal transparency.

We want to see what’s really going on at the places we are giving money to (or thinking about it). We don’t necessarily want to know what everyone is going through, unless they are (true) friends.

Second, and most important, there’s a backlash to individual transparency: you can’t be transparent about someone else.

You see where I’m going with this, right?

Transparency means talking about you.

Maybe you will say what matters or help people that are going through the same things that you are. Or maybe you’ll just be transparently self-centered.

Holly Hoffman is an example of transparency I agree with. Penelope Trunk is not.

You decide how transparent you should be.

But let’s skip the “it’s all about balance” argument. Extremes are much more common.

Bottom Line: You don’t need to open up to be transparent. Just don’t lie.

Today, being the best in any category, is almost impossible. You are part of a lot of good ones out there.

But the way to stand out hasn’t changed: let people take the risk for you.

They won’t lose friends for showing them a crappy blog, but you’ll lose credibility for calling yourself the best.

And even if you are, we are getting more skeptical.

There’s a reason this blog only has 3 buttons on its “column”.

It leaves the interaction up to you.

Judging the content is easy because there’s not much else to interact with. There’s not much to see. Even hating it only takes a second.

Lots of links, means lots of interaction. And readers need time for that, which is more valuable than money by now.

Interaction works when the reader already knows you or someone he trusts recommended you (one tweet is not a strong enough recommendation).

Your design matters because tools like Twitter and Facebook are going to bring you many newcomers. Make it simple for them.

Don’t go for interaction on the first glimpse.

Sparked by a debate with Ryan Stephens, Elisa Doucette and Nicholas Young.

Let’s say you go to a shop. You want to buy something. You get in and look at the product, but before they sell you anything, you have to listen to the owner tell you about the shop and where all comes from, what they do and sell. Hearing it is required for you to make your purchase.

Boring, right? Makes you wanna leave, right?

Then don’t do that with your writing either. Get to it.

Bottom line: 9 out 10 “thought-sharing” posts don’t need a selfish intro.

The reason we love hearing insightful people is because they say what we already knew, what we already agreed with. It clicks.

That’s the psychological thing about words. The right combination can do wonders.

Bottom Line: Read and Write, to expand your vocabulary. Listen, to know how to use it.