This Friday I’m recommending a book that’s not new, and it’s not about writing. Telling you that up front probably is a bad idea, as everyone wants what’s new, and this is a blog about writing. All the same, if you haven’t yet read it (and even if you have, you might want to reread it), Richard Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money – That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not! is one of the best books you can read if you’re pursuing writing.
Why? Because it causes you to think differently about your time and effort. I read it when I’d nearly finished law school. I had a high-paying job lined up at a large firm, and I actually wondered whether if I’d read this book first, I would have skipped law school and focused right off on how to generate income through creating assets rather than entering a profession where I would be selling my time. At a high price, yes, but my time is still a limited quantity. And because I’d been writing on the side since college, I wished I’d looked into ways to earn money that would free up hours rather than fill them.
The next time I read the book was on a long plane flight to a personal writing retreat I created for myself. For ten days in a warm climate, I focused on writing and where I wanted to be five years down the road. At that time, I was running my own law firm. It was going well–so well that I rarely had time to write. Rereading Rich Dad Poor Dad wasn’t part of my retreat plan, but I had my Kindle and had finished the book I was reading on the plane. I downloaded Rich Dad because I remembered it being inspiring.
It was. During that retreat I started sketching out what I’d need to do to get to where I could write full time. It was the first time I believed I could do it and seriously contemplated leaving a busy law practice behind.
Regardless whether you want to ultimately leave your current profession or career, Rich Dad Poor Dad can help you start thinking creatively about how to maximize your time. It also provides inspiration for those long hours when you’ll be writing a novel, uncertain if you’ll ever sell it.
What books have most inspired you over the years? Drop me a note at [email protected] or click on the Comment button in the upper left corner and share.
Until Sunday….
Best,
L. M. Lilly
P.S. If you’d like to see which articles, podcasts, and books I’ve suggested on previous Fridays, click Recommendations in the category list to the right.