Tools for Success

“Read, write, and do arithmetic”? Have you heard of those five words before? Good. If not, let me explain what it means. Reading means to read a book, journal, or an article in the newspaper. You can read bumper stickers too if you are into that sort of thing. No one is stopping you as long as you read. Writing means to write a summary, journal, or silly random ideas on paper, or electronically.

To do arithmetic is to deal with numbers. You deal with it every day. Questions in your head like, “What time should I put my make-up on so I can get to the party on time?” or “How long will it take me to drive from point A to Point B?” or “How much should I tip?” or “Should I buy this or that?” or “Do I have enough money?” You do not pull out a calculator every time these questions come up in your head. Do you? I hope not. There are gazillions of numbers that are running through your head without you even noticing it. Do not confuse arithmetic with mathematics. One is about numbers and the other is about theory. Forget about theories for now. Let us go back and dive into the subject of reading and writing since these two are highly interdependent.

Let me tell you my opinion about reading and then later I will explain why I highly recommend for you to write.