As an English major, I have to do a large amount of reading. This semester in particular has hit me really, really hard. I haven't had a day yet where I've read fewer than 60 pages a day. For some people, that sounds like the norm. You may get busy with school or work, of course, but in your free time, you can knock out a book in one afternoon. I am not one of those people. It's not that I can't read a lot in one day - it's that I don't have the will to. I've been known to get halfway through a large book in one afternoon, but that's on my best day. I love reading - don't get me wrong - but it's a lot easier to just plop in front of Netflix and get my entertainment that way. So, as you could probably tell, this whole semester has jolted me a bit. It isn't that bad, though. I think I've actually learned a few things from the experience. Now, I'll share them with you:

1. You can do more than you think.

Before this, I kind of assumed I wasn't a very fast reader. I thought it would take me a long time to finish a book. Now that I'm forced into professional reading, I know that that isn't the case. I can read as much as I want in a day - it all depends on what I'm willing to do and how hard I'm willing to try. I know I'm just talking about reading a book, but maybe this can apply to other things as well. If you love to do something, then work hard at it!

2. Try new things.

Most of what I'm reading this semester is stuff that I already know that I like, but I have been reading works that I've never heard of before. I'm reading some of the earliest novels in history - that's pretty cool! I'm reading so many new works just within the genre that I like, so how much more can I explore by delving into genres I've never read before? Reading is so exciting, so why limit myself to stuff that I already know? Again, this could be applied to other stuff too. Trying new things is always exciting and fascinating, if not scary at times, but it's usually worth it!

3. Too much of a good thing.

This is more of a negative lesson, but I think it's still worth mentioning. I love reading, and this experience has helped me love it even more, but I will need to be careful about not getting too much of a good thing. I'm not saying that I'll burn out and never want to read again, but being forced to do something you love and getting grades on it can dampen the love a bit. I just need to be careful not to push myself so hard that I don't love it anymore (which would be hard to do, but I could get burned out). I guess this is why some people say you shouldn't do what you love as a job because you won't end up loving it anymore. I guess that depends, but I do know that you can get too much of a good thing.

Well, I would say that it's weird to be all thoughtful over having to read a whole lot, but reading encourages you to be thoughtful. I hope that these tips, whether you apply them to reading or something else that you love, have encouraged you and helped you in some way.

Good luck and happy reading!