Do you want to read the invisible prayers?
The best books have invisible sentences, sentences that you miss, even if you keep reading them.
How many books have you reread?
And how many have you read more than five times?
Or ten, or 20?
If it’s ‘not many’, then you’re missing out, and this article won’t make as much sense.
I was listening to a discussion between marketing legends Ben Settle and Ken McCarthy. They mentioned something that each has raised many times:
Don’t just read amazing books, read them again. Because it’s better to master a few amazing books than to dip your toe in a lot of lukewarm water.
And they mentioned something I’ve also noticed:
Even on your 10th reading, you’ll notice sentences you’d swear weren’t there before.
Not just random filler sentences either. Phrases brimming with valuable information.
What was going on in your mind the other nine times?
Now safe. During the first few reads, assuming it’s a great book that really challenges him, he may be overwhelmed by new ideas.
If the mother premise of the book leaves your mind spinning, you will miss a lot.
But on your third or fifth reading, you know the premise backwards. It may still excite you, but you won’t be surprised.
Still, these invisible phrases will glide across your eyes.
What’s the deal here?
You just weren’t ready for it.
You read the sentence, processed it and understood the grammar… but you didn’t really understand it.
Maybe you could tell what that sentence means, but you still haven’t understood what it means to you.
How to apply it.
The right prayer at the right time carries inspiration, not just information.
It’s the same problem with motivational quotes. If the phrase “you will find someone who loves you when you learn to love yourself” bores you, then one of two things is true.
Or so you already know.
But you are not ready for it.
They both feel mostly the same.
Both imply that your mind glosses over it because it’s not interesting.
And what’s really weird is, if you were put to the test, you’d say you know what it means anyway. “Sure, love yourself, I got it.”
But then there’s that rare moment when you’re ready for it. Where you take in what it means, instead of knowing how to define it.
That’s why stupid (and, frankly, inaccurate) sayings like this reverberate in society.
When you need to hear it, simple words become raw epiphany fuel.
Now, I hope that what you are reading over and over again is a bit more sophisticated than ‘love yourself’.
I hope it challenges you to think in new and better ways.
Above all, I hope you delve into it. The better a book is, the more you miss on your first few reads.
