A&B #21

Hey friends,

I'm writing to all 4,500 of you today.I hope everyone's having an enjoyable weekend and doing some reading.I talk a lot about books, but another passion of mine is being a content creator and growing an audience. I'm happy to share that the A&B community has passed 100k followers (how crazy is that!):

• 80k Instagram

• 17k Twitter

• 4k TikTok

If you're a content creator, regardless of the platform, here are

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter!

🎧  Podcast Update:

I'm taking a short break from podcasting to work on my online reading course and private community but once those two projects are complete, we'll be back better than ever before.In the meantime, I'll be highlighting previous podcasts.For instance, here's a full summary of my most popular podcast (it's with Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money).

📚 Book Lessons:

I recently finished Read & Grow Rich: How the Hidden Power of Reading Can Make You Richer in All Areas of Your Life by Burke Hedges.The book is all about the power of reading. The author shares several wonderful stories of successful individuals such as Matthew McConaughey and Oprah Winfrey, who credit their success to reading books. There aren't a ton of reading tips, but it was an enjoyable read for a bibliophile. Here are 3 lessons from it:1) Devote 1% of Your Day To ReadingYou don't need to devote several hours of your day to reading to reap the rewards from books. All you need is to set aside 1% of your day. There are 1,440 minutes in a day, if you can devote just 1% of that time (or 15 minutes a day) you'll end up reading about a book a month or 12 books a year. (One-percent may seem tiny, but if you've read Atomic Habits by James Clear, you know that 1% can compound over time and lead to massive results)And if you devote 2% of your day to reading (or about 30 minutes a day), you'll end up reading around 25 books a year–that's 250 books in 10 years. Imagine how much better your life would be with the knowledge of all of those books in your mind. 2) Apply What You've LearnedReading unlocks your potential but to reach your potential, you must take action. It's only when you applied the lessons you've learned that you'll see improvements in your life. As the famous philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau said, "A truly great book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint...What I began by reading, I must finish by acting." 3) Personal Growth Hall of FameNeed something to read? You're in luck. Near the end of the book, Burke Hedges shares a list of his favorite and most impactful personal development books. Here's are 10 books from his list: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Ben Franklin Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson Walden by Henry David Thoreau As A Man Thinketh by James Allen How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino  

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Devote 1% of Your Day To Reading:

• Pick a time right now that you can off 15 minutes every day this week. Aim to read for 15 minutes every day for at least 5 days this week.

2) Apply What You've Learned:

• Pick up the last book you read. Review your notes and brainstorm ways you can apply the author's advice. Then put it into action. 

3) Read a book from the Personal Growth Hall of Fame:

• Order an ebook or audiobook from Burke's hall of fame list and start reading it today!

📖  Reading Lesson:When it comes to books, size doesn't matter 📏As the old saying goes, it's not the size that counts, it's how you use it.(get your mind out of the gutter people, we're talking about books here)Read the full tip here. 

⭐️  Weekly Quote:"There is a great deal of difference between the eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book read."–G.K. Chesterton

📸  Photo of the Week:

If you're looking for book recommendations, one of my favorite sites is

Goodbooks

. You can search for the most recommended books by category (business, history, etc.) or by people (Mark Cuban, Elon Musk, etc.).

I'm honored to share that I've been included on the site. Here are

13 books that changed my life.

🙏  Hey everyone, this week's newsletter is brought to you by: No oneJust wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading my weekly newsletter and supporting Alex & Books.Have a wonderful Sunday. =)

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next week!Read on,Alex W.PS: If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend. They can subscribe here.