Habits are behaviors that are repeated, over-and-over, on a daily basis. These habits have much more of a direct impact on our lives than any dream, aspiration, or goal could ever wish to. Aside from meditation, in my thirty-four years of trying to become a better version of myself, I’ve found no more useful habit than a daily reader (or aptly several). A daily reader is a book with a different, dedicated passage to read every day throughout the year.
It’s so easy to shrug off something so deceptively simple but devoting just five minutes of your day to the proper daily reader can be life-changing. Once you begin researching these books you’ll see there’s no shortage of choices, they come in any philosophical and spiritual flavor you can imagine. The key is finding the one(s) that you connect with on a deep, personal level and you feel are adding something positive to your life. Once you find a book you really connect with there’s a greater chance you’ll stick with it and it won’t become a bore. I think of the daily infusion of wisdom to add up overtime a little like compound interest.
After about a week or two of adding this habit to your daily routine you’ll find you begin to look forward to it. If you miss a day you’ll realize the value reading and reflecting on the daily passage adds to your life.
One particular book that has been by my side faithfully for over thirty years is a daily reader by author Deng Ming-Dao called, “365 Tao: Daily Meditations”. This book, for me, is pure perfection. Almost from day one it was as though the daily passages began to part the veil and open my eyes as I go about this dream of life. Each passage reveals the playful and simplistic inner workings of the universe, the matrix, or whatever higher power it is you believe in. The passages seem to reveal different layers and take on new meanings when I reread them each year. This book is ethereal, nurturing, philosophical, wispy, heartfelt, and speaks directly to the soul.
Another book that I’ve found to be an excellent counterbalance to the ethereal nature of 365 Tao is The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. I added this daily reader to my rotation in 2022 and have found it just as helpful as 365 Tao in different ways. The Daily Stoic is more about pragmatic and highly effective ways of reframing how we think about our lives in this physical world. Organized by different themes like clarity, self-control, and acceptance, The Daily Stoic encourages us to cultivate our inner strength and navigate challenges with calm and purpose. This book takes a more grounded, philosophical, and practical approach to daily living. The Daily Stoic speaks more to the intellect than it does to the soul.
During these tumultuous and mercurial times we’re living in it’s so important to have some kind of an anchor in our lives to keep us sane, optimistic, and grounded. This is precisely the role daily readers can play. If you feel like your life could use a little more purpose and direction I’d encourage you to give a daily reader a try. After thirty-four years it’s difficult for me to imagine my life without them.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
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