 If there was a book that revolutionized how I think about reading and the power of reading, it was Ben Carson's Gifted Hands. At the time I found the book, I was confused about life and didn't know what to do next with my life. I started to give myself to reading a little, just to pass the time. I would go to this small library, owned by a man in a small compound. That was where I found Gifted Hands. As soon as I read the book, the story so captivated me, I started to take reading books seriously because I saw a man whose life was launched into a whole world of achievements simply because he discovered he could learn anything with the ability of reading. In today's video, I will be sharing with you 5 lessons you can learn from Ben Carson's Gifted Hands. If you are new here, subscribe to this channel so you don't miss other interesting videos like this. 1. Successful people don't have fewer problems, they have determined that nothing will stop them from going forward. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, here's a clip. Ben Carson was raised in a poor home by a single mother at a time of severe racial segregation. He was a troublesome kid and had it rough. His poor mother, who had to work several odd jobs in some white homes, had to labor to take care of him and his older brother. Things were not going good for them and Ben Carson at the time wasn't making things any easy. Before we continue the story, here's the thing, those who succeed don't always have it easy. You don't always have a few problems, in fact, they often have much more. I have found that the higher you will go in life, the more your problems will be and vice versa. So, if you're inclined to always run away from problems, you're reducing your certainty of achieving great success. Your problems will not even be fewer because you have succeeded. With great success comes great responsibility. 2. The more you read, the better you read, the more you enjoy reading. If there is one quote that stuck with me over the years from this book, this is the quote. I never forgot it ever since I read it. It has also helped me to make a lot of decisions and learning a whole lot of skills. I turned it to be, the more you do a particular thing, the better you do that thing, the more you enjoy doing that thing. So, if there is anything you don't want to do, but have to do to move your life forward, start to do it and soon you will start to love it. Ben Carson was a poor student. He always took the last position in class and didn't mind being a dullard. His mother observed that her two children failed because they spent a lot of time in front of the TV. Soon she stopped them from watching TV and forced them to go to the library each week and to give a report of what they had read. At first, Ben Carson was sad, but one day after his class teacher asked a question in this class and nobody could answer except dull Ben Carson. He got hooked to spending time in the library. That was where he got the quote, the more you read, the better you read and the more you enjoy reading. 3. Do what you have to do so that you can be what you want to be. After years of constant reading and succeeding in academics, Ben Carson decided he wanted to become a neurosurgeon and so started to make efforts towards becoming one. Of course, because he wanted to become a neurosurgeon, his reading habit changed. He read more than he used to and focused so much on his studies. He eventually became the neurosurgeon he wanted to be. If there is anything you want to be, then you must do what you have to do to become that person. A lot of lazy people are mostly folks who have not found what their lives were made for. I believe when you find what your life is made for, you naturally function well in that area and work in that area isn't work at all. It's just fun. So find work that fulfills you and it would almost be natural that you commit yourself to it. You can't become a neurosurgeon by spending time playing video games all week long. If you must become something big, you must pay the price that big. 4. Not what you do, but the kind of job that you do that makes the difference. In the book, Ben Carson described working on the separation of Siamese twins. Of course, it was technical and you can imagine the depth of dexterity that was required. The operation was successful, but it was mostly because this man had become terrifically good at paying attention to details. If you're an employee, it's okay to hold down a job, but it's dumb to do only what you're paid to do without bringing some useful ideas to the table. I know we have preached so much about entrepreneurship and why you must start a business, but in truth, not everyone will become successful starting a business and not everyone can become an entrepreneur. Some people succeed just by being employees and there are stories of employees who climb their way to the top that way. What is important is doing your job as if it is your last, giving your best to it at all costs because you know your life matters. Too often, we never know who is watching. So we ought to always make efforts to ensure that we give our best to what we do and that we do our best in every job. Just one announcement is all you need to break through, but this won't come if you're always doing shoddy jobs. 5. By reading so much, my vocabulary automatically improved along with my comprehension. I have to emphasize this point of reading here because the premise of the book, Gifted Hands, is actually the determination of this man, Ben Carson, to change his life by reading. He read himself into success. He read himself into the minds of great men. He read himself from being a dull student to being exceptional. He read himself from the bottom to the top. We are no better than people who can't read if we can read but never read. It would be very poor to find that your life could have been better if you had given yourself to reading. And in this day and age, where you don't even have to go to any physical library before you get a wealth of information, you have no excuse for not improving your life by reading. Read a lot because it opens you up to a whole different world that leads to success and achievement. About Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, I suggest you ignore the movie and go read the book. The movie excludes many interesting aspects and lessons you could learn from Ben's life and achievements. The book is more detailed. If this video inspired you, like the video. We love you.