Reading is your superpower. Readers are writers – message from an author coach. So, let’s remember what READ stands for: Rebels, Explorers, Adventurers, Dreamers.
HEILBRON FIRST TRUST
As a guest of the Heilbron First Trust, I was privileged to be part of the Career Expo held at the Sediba-Thuto Secondary School, on Friday 22 August. Fountain of knowledge is the meaning of the school’s name. It echoes the name of the town Heilbron, which translates to ‘spring of bliss’, or ‘source of well-being’, named after an enduring natural spring, that gave rise to the town. Heilbron is a historic farming town in South Africa’s Free State province, under the Ngwathe Local Municipality in the Fezile Dabi District.
Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted by Mr Motsamai Mofokeng and taken to the school hall, where 350 matric learners from various schools were attending. The event was superbly organised, and what struck me was the respect, discipline and participation from the grade 12 learners – congratulations to the principals and teachers.
READERS AND STORYTELLING
Reading is much more than words on a page, and it all starts with storytelling. We grow up and know ourselves by the story’s others tell us, and the stories we tell ourselves.
Writers take their stories, just the same as yours, and make them into words and books.
Reading is how we unlock the world. Reading is how we learn to imagine, to dream, to believe that something bigger is possible.
Dr. Seuss once said: “The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
He wasn’t lying. Books are literally like passports. We can read about a story in Russia, or in Canada, or in Nigeria, without visiting it. But a book opens a window to that region or country. We will know much more about the place, more than anyone else, if we have read it.
READING BUILDS HOPE
There’s a quote by Thuli Madonsela: “Hope is that little spark that gives you faith in the possibility of a future that seems unattainable.”
Now let me be honest with you:
Hope is not always easy to hold onto – especially when you’re facing real challenges.
Some of you must walk long distances to school, or study at night by candlelight.
Some of you must work twice as hard just to be taken half as seriously.
But here’s what I know:
The moment you pick up a book, you light a small spark in the darkness.
You remind yourself that where you are is not the same as who you are.
Reading teaches you that your current situation is not your destination.
READING IS A FORM OF RESISTANCE
Zakes Mda, one of South Africa’s great writers, said: “Waiting for inspiration? You will wait forever. Write and write and write again. Inspiration will find you on the way.”
In other words: Don’t wait to feel ready. Start now.
Every book you read is food.
Every page is a seed.
And the more you read, the more you build something powerful inside of you – the ability to think for yourself.
And that, my friends, is dangerous to people who want you to stay quiet.
Reading is rebellion and revolution.
Reading is how you sharpen your mind, therefore your voice becomes impossible to ignore.
YOU ARE ALREADY CHANGING
Did you know that biologists say your body replaces almost all its cells every 7 to 10 years? That means, in a way, you’re a completely new person every decade.
So, maybe it makes sense to think of your life in seven-year chapters.
- The first seven years – learning to walk, speak, trust.
- The next seven – learning to think, to question, to dream.
- The years you’re in now? These are the becoming years.
So, ask yourself: What kind of person do you want to be in your next chapter?
What will your story be?
Because you are the author. You hold the pen.
And reading is what helps you write better, live better, and become more you than ever before.
THE MORE YOU READ, THE MORE YOU RISE
The first sentence of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s powerful novel Nervous Conditions, starts like this:
“I was not sorry when my brother died. Nor am I apologising for my callousness, as you may define it, my lack of feeling.”
Those words shock us – but they are honest. Raw. And they mark the beginning of a young girl’s journey to escape the expectations that kept her small.
That girl, Tambu, wanted an education so badly, she was willing to fight for it – even when others didn’t believe she deserved it.
Even when she wasn’t sure she deserved it.
But through reading, through learning, through thinking, she began to believe in her own voice.
And that’s what reading does. It helps you claim your own voice.
Not the voice that others give you – but your own, strong, important voice.
READERS ARE WRITERS – FROM AN AUTHOR COACH
Today, I want to leave you with this truth: You might not have fancy technology, fast wi-fi or every book in the world.
But if you have the will to read, if you have curiosity, if you have hope,
then you already have everything you need.
Reading is your superpower – because the more you read, the more you rise.Let’s remember what READ stands for: Rebels, Explorers, Adventurers, Dreamers.
As a author coach, I am happy to assist you in your writing journey.