While it may seem impossible to believe, many people in the United States don’t read even one book in a year’s time. Not one! For many, it is the busy rush of day-to-day life that leads to merely watching TV to relax at night while reading feels like more “work.” Many also lose the love of reading in high school when forced to read many older, dry novels that don’t do much to engage young readers. Unfortunately, if you’re finding that this all applies to you, reading a book regularly is one habit strongly associated with successful, motivated people.

Successful people tend to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and see gaining new information as a route to self-improvement. With this in mind, successful people read a newspaper or similar source of high-quality news every morning. Furthermore, they read a book during the day or before bed at night. While non-fiction is a great way to increase knowledge on a favorite subject or start learning an entirely new topic, even fiction is an excellent exercise for your mind and works to expand your vocabulary. Reading can be a great way to wind down before bed, as long as you don’t end up reading a stressful page-turner.