Reading has changed my life in the most valuable way. I have become a better businessman, husband, speaker and overall person because of my reading habits. It is a consistent part of my morning routine – wake-up, brush my teeth, repeat my will statements, and read a book while taking notes with my Recap Journal. I truly believe that the knowledge from one book can change your life if you let it.

I did not always have this affinity for learning. Growing up dyslexic made retaining knowledge a real challenge for me, which played out in my academics. As I got older, I created a full-proof method for taking better notes, which has increased my capacity as a learner tenfold. If we can love reading and really retain the knowledge – our  life will transform. 

How can you combine your passion for reading and desire for community? 

I think you should start a book club and I am going to provide you with 4 easy steps to get you moving:

Step 1: Establish What You Want To Read 

In today’s world, there are hundreds of book genres to choose from! I lean toward leadership and self-improvement because that is my interest. The theme of your book club will have a lot to do with the people you want to join. Maybe everyone is interested in learning how to use their money to make better investments or how to be more passionate creators …. Honestly, the list can go on forever and there is a book out there for YOU!  Read something that both challenges you and excites you.

Step 2: Find Your People 

It is so important to find the right people for your book club. You want like-minded individuals who are inspired to join this journey with you. People who will love the learning aspect and thrive in the community setting. Consider friends, colleagues, organization leaders to name a few. Think about the size you want. Are you desiring something more intimate with 3-5 people or are you hoping for a wide community with 10+?

Step 3: Set the Intentions for the Club or as I like to call it “Club Rules”

It is vital to establish 5 rules that you want to have for your club. These will lay the foundation of the success of the book club. Make these rules unique to your club, and be sure to share them with the members! Hold one another  accountable to putting in the work. Everyone being on the same page will allow for more intentional conversation and rewarding outcomes. Things to think about: virtual or in-person, duration of meeting, when and where the meeting takes place, what is the expectation of the readers, how much of the book do we discuss, what is the best way to let people share, should we have snacks….

Let me share with you my 7 “Club Rules”

• We meet every Monday at 7pm for 1 hour virtually for five weeks 
• We discuss the 3 chapters we read previously 
• Everyone highlights and takes notes in their Recap Journal of what stood out to them throughout their reading process
• We start the next chapter together as a group
• Everyone adds to the conversation because every voice matters
• We have an established talking limit -limit members to X minutes of mic time
• We create an agenda and stick to it – the agenda will cover the minute by minute. Sections could include: what was noteworthy and why, quotes from the book that are valuable, major takeaways, how this helped us grow and how we will implement the knowledge in our lives.

Step 4: Purchase Your Book and Recap Journal 

You can’t start a book club without purchasing your book! Do some research and find the book that you and your members would truly benefit from in this season. I enjoy reading the physical copy of a book because I love to highlight and feel the pages in my hand. I also find reading 100% more valuable when I utilize my Recap Journal. 

The Recap Journal is for people who love learning and achieving more in life. There is nothing more satisfying than having a dedicated journal to organize your thoughts so that you can reflect and share with family, friends, and colleagues. My reading experience tends to become more deeply ingrained when I take notes and then fill out the valuable questions of my favorite quote, my major takeaways, how the message helped me, and how I will implement the knowledge. I don’t want to just read, I want to retain knowledge, and then implement the knowledge I have learned. I also want to have a place where that knowledge lives for me to refer back to whenever I need it. No notebook compares to the Recap Journal. 

Make the commitment of starting a book club easy and valuable. I encourage you to make it fun and make it your own – grow your community, deepen your knowledge, and never stop learning.