Hey friends - Adam here.
March 10th intentions.
I want to start this newsletter by reiterating that one of my lifelong learning goals is to read a total of 1,000 books before 2032.
This reading challenge was something I had started, after being upset with my lack of progress in receiving what I felt was an actual āeducationā in my undergraduate studies.
The initial goal for me was to read a total of 50 books before graduating college. After making my way through my first 50 books, I decided to chase after 100. This then led to wanting to shift to reading 150 books before I graduated.
Guess what though? I received my undergraduate degree first and I was damn proud of that.
However, about a month laterā¦ after graduating I was able to read the last book of my reading goal of 150 books before graduating. This was a moment in which I felt drastically more proud of, and realized how empowered I felt taking my education into my own hands.
This week, I finished reading my 251st book Walter Kirnās āLost in the Meritocracyā . Excitedly, after finishing that book I started another book: Present Shock by Douglas Rushkoff. I have no intention of stopping reading anytime soon, as another stack of freshly checked out library books awaits me.
Did you get your library card yet?
The more I progress towards this goal of reading 1,000 books, the more I realize how much I cherish pursuing an education daily.
Whatās so magic about setting a goal to read a specific amount of books?
I canāt say magic without thinking of Polo & Panās song āMagicā here on Spotify. This track was a banger that was featured in my last BARTYDARTY mix.
Setting the goal of reading 1,000 books in my lifetime is an intention that I plan on fulfilling. In the pursuit of this ridiculous goal, I have learned to love reading, as well as learned more easily how to approach a topic that I lack a familiarity with.
Interestingly enough, the more I have read, the more of a niche I feel I have been able to carve in terms of my understanding of a topic. After all, words are containers for concepts.. and the more language of a given field you understand, the more open the world begins to seem.
āThe interesting thing about setting big goals is that once we get serious about planning for them, they tend to be achieved more quickly than we initially expect.ā
- Chris Guillebeau From āThe Art of Noncomformityā
Whatās your journey?
Is there a lifelong learning goal you can set?
What happens when I reach 1,000 books? Do I just continue to raise the ante or do I choose to strive towards a different lifelong learning goal.
Something pivotal along this Journey to 1,000 books has been the value in setting aside the space to reflect on the ideas I engage with from these books.
The way I typically digest a book now isā¦ I read the book, I copy down the quotes I enjoy, and write them out within my Roam Research.
From there, I reflect upon the idea(s) that the quote provoked within meā¦ and it enables me to have a dialogue with an idea that I found interesting enough to highlight.
Little by little, these quotes and/or chunks of thought seemingly begin to click within my head.. and I feel more prepared to speak at lengths about the topics in which I am studying.
If youāve been reading this newsletter over the past year, Iām sure you can tell the trend of my interest dedicated towards music & cryptocurrencies.
So increasingly, the forays in which I am taking in my independent studies, are leading to more tangible outcomes in my life. Like performing as a DJ in Denver (still canāt get over that this happened lol).
Whether this is a result of me getting more into the āknowā with the buzzing world of web3/crypto and diving fully into the world that is a startup as a musicianā¦ remains to be seen.
However, at this juncture of my progression towards my goals in creating a lifestyle in which I want to liveā¦ READING gives me a lot to think about. The same goes for WRITING.
Itās my belief that the top skills to train ourselves in an age of increasing automation are the things that make us human like storytelling. The more one reads & writes, the more they gain the āknow-howā to craft narratives.
With each newsletter it is my hope to convey a particular message that feels resonant, to deliver a story that makes sense & makes you hype to set lifelong learning goals yourself.
Reading & writing about my Journey to 1,000 will continue to be the driving force for my Journey to 1,000!
If it werenāt for the Journey to 1,000, I highly doubt I would be pursuing my dreams in music at the veracity I have been.
The thing isā¦ when finding meaningful education one comes to realize that an education should measure up to finding purpose in our everyday actions.
Reading & writing helps you uncover what makes you tick. The more I read & write the more I feel closer to my dreams.
So please friend start by reading one book & reflect on the ideas that resonate with you. Highlight one quote a chapter, and reflect from there.
Write out your responses & dream from there. You never what dreams may actually come true once you take repeated action towards making it real.
Cheers to lifelong learning,
Adam Bartley (@bartadamley)