There are two ways to get smart: read and ask a lot of questions. How much and how often do you read?
A Reader�s Digest survey once indicated that 5 percent of the people buy 95 percent of the books. If that�s accurate, then most people only use books to prop open doors. Folks complain that their busy lives keep them from reading. While it takes time to read, it�s amazing just how easy it is to find this time. In his book, Education of a Wandering Man, Louis L�Amour stated that he once read 29 books in one year while waiting in line for appointments, to buy groceries, at bus stops, etc. We can find time to read if we have the desire.
As a CFI, reading is in your best interest. Books and magazines can help you learn about people�how they think and what motivates them. Start with the L�Amour book I mentioned above. Most important, read AOPA Flight Training from cover to cover. Even if you�re familiar with most of the material, you can benefit by studying the way our crafty writers teach these lessons.
Lots of things you can buy aren�t practical. An acquaintance bought a Palm Pilot with a 200-year schedule. For the last 140 years he wrote, �Remain deceased.� But reading material is a wise investment. Why? Ac- cording to motivational speaker Bob Richards, you could be in the top 1 percent of the intellectually elite if you read just one book a month.
Rod Machado
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker.
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