What Do You Read Into This?

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2004 Boaz Rauchwerger

On a recent cross-country speaking trip, I flew on America West. Their in-flight magazine contained a feature called "Flights of Fancy." The particular issue I read had questions that dealt with U.S. geography, topography and climatology.

In case you ever find yourself on television's Jeopardy, let's get you ready ahead of time. Don't forget to phrase your answers in the form of a question.

As noted in the column, which of the following states has the most shoreline? (a) California (b) Florida (c) Hawaii or (d) Minnesota? My initial answer was California. I was wrong.

The correct answer is Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 lakes." Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.

I was born in Israel and have swam (or, rather "floated" due to the salt content) in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Our next Jeopardy question, for $500, is from the category of "Deep U.S. Lakes." Which of the following is the deepest? (a) Lake Superior, MI. (b) Lake Tahoe, Calif. (c) Crater Lake, Ore. or (d) Great Salt Lake, Utah?

The correct answer is Crater Lake in Oregon. Snow-capped mountains feed this lake, which was formed about 7,000 years ago. The bottom of that lake is 1,943 feet down and it contains 5 trillion gallons of water.

What if we put you in a little less jeopardy by offering a true or false question from the America West column? Barrow, Alaska, is located further north than any other city in the United States. It experiences a month without sunlight in the winter and a month of nonstop sunlight in the summer. True or False?

The answer is false. Barrow, Alaska has the nation's most extreme sunlight patterns. The sun shines twenty-four hours a day from May 10 to August 2. Then, from November 18 to January 24, there is round the clock darkness.

I know this is true because, on an Alaska speaking trip a few years ago, I witnessed a midnight softball game in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska in the middle of June under full sunlight.

Let me ask you a question I ask many of my audiences. The average American reads how many non-fiction books from the time they get out of school until the time they die? Is the right answer (a) 9 (b) 23 (c) 2 or (d) 12?

The shockingly correct answer is (c). The average American reads no more than 2 non-fiction books in their lifetime. No wonder so many people have hardening of the attitudes.

There is an old adage that states, "A mind once expanded never returns to its original size." The questions from the America West article were meant to expand your mind and your thinking. We are all so capable of learning so much. Concerning the brain, there is no standing still. We're either expanding our brain cells or losing them.

Reading the right information is a good way to expand your brainpower and, if you wish, to become an expert on a topic. Reading also builds character and the right information can give you the right words to use in any situation.

When I decided to become a professional speaker, many years ago, I decided to become an expert in human relations. I chose two books that have been acclaimed by many to be foundational classics in dealing with people and with the principals of success. They were "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

Both were written in the mid-1930s and both are still applicable today. I liked the simple common sense ideas in the Carnegie book that focused on dealing with people. I also liked the ideas in the Hill book that focused on me dealing with me.

I wanted to become an expert in these two powerful books. Thus, I read each book once a month, every month, for five years. By reading each of those books 60 times, I internalized the information and it became a part of me. Now I am considered an expert in human relations and often asked where I got my psychology degree. I simply show them the two books.

Want to become an expert in a certain field? Find a book you relate to in that field and read it many times. Repetition is the mother of skill. What do you read into this idea? Perhaps you'll read into it a new and exciting direction in your life.

A Reading Affirmation

I read a powerful positive book over and over. That gives me a high level of expertise and confidence in dealing with people.