The Book Analogy: What Can Books Teach You About Life?

Imagine you are reading a book. The purpose of the book is to take you on a journey and tell you a story through a series of chapters and chronological events.

Yet what would happen if you skipped a couple of pages? Or even a chapter? What would happen if you skipped from page 30 to page 49?

In either of the scenarios, you would quickly realise the part of the book you are now reading doesn't entirely make sense or flow as nicely as you've skimmed over key parts of the book.

Skipping from page 30 to page 49 serves little value if you can't understand why the story is evolving the way it is.

The same can be said if you have ever had that feeling of reading a page only to get to the end of it and ask yourself, "What did I just read?" You might then think twice before turning to the next page as you would want to make sense of the events in the book before continuing the book.

What does this all have to do with life?

Processing different life stages and chapters

When we skim over key chapters in our life, we may struggle to make sense of the chapters we arrive at. We may also feel that we missed out on certain chapters in our life which, in hindsight, feel integral to our own character's development and story.

When you are going through life, you can become so fixated on getting to the next chapter, the next page, that you don't quite pay enough attention to the chapter you are in. This absent mindedness can cause you to rush and move in between chapters in your life without understanding what it is you really want out of each chapter in your life.

Like a book, life can only be understood by making sense of the different chapters and pages which make up the book.

The goal is not just to get to the end of the book as fast as possible but to make sense of the contents of the book, the pages, the chapters, and eventually the story.

The message?

Until you've made sense of the different chapters in your life, you will continue to revisit different chapters in your life to make sense of things.

If you've skipped over certain chapters in your life or haven't paid enough attention to certain areas of your life, you may have a longing to go back and complete these chapters.

Tip: Instead of skipping over chapters and stages in life to get to other stages faster, focus on making sense of the chapter you are currently in. Sometimes you may have to also revisit previous chapters for greater clarity and understanding of what you want. It's about knowing what chapters to revisit, change and make sense of, whilst also knowing which chapters to close and be at peace with.

If you found this analogy insightful or useful please like, comment and share this analogy with others who may find it insightful.

At Curly's Mind we would be interested to hear what your perspective is on this analogy of the mind. Please add any insights in the comment section as an extension of this analogy.

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Connect With Me - The Author

I am passionate about helping high performance individuals move towards their goals and overcome mental barriers along the way.

In addition to consulting and supporting athletes in my doctorate level training qualification as a Performance Psychologist, I extend my support, insights and advice to others in in the form of my own branch of consultancy at Curly's Mind. Curly's Mind helps you understand your mind so you can live better & it is inspired by creative & unique insights.

If you are interested in connecting with me or want to understand yourself better I would be happy to share insights to help you understand how you can utilise psychology to understand your mind and live better.

Curly's Mind | Consultancy

I have consulted and worked with a range of individuals, sharing insights with individuals in positions of leadership and performance including coaches, personal trainers, physiotherapists, athletes, parents and students.

As a Performance Psychologist in Training I have worked with upcoming athletes who have competed and taking part at various levels such as national sport. This includes athletes and coaches from St Andrews University Golf Club, Arsenal Community, Dundee Swim Club & Strathallan Rugby Academy amongst many more.

Sawan Kotecha,

Co-Founder at Curly's Mind