Did you know that most people only read the first 19 pages of a book?

Well, today is Book Lovers’ Day.

What are you currently reading?

If you are not a bibliophile, here’s a little challenge: For 45 minutes today, will you consider turning off your phone (and laptop) and read 20 pages of a book – at a minimum? (The average reading speed is two minutes per page, so you will have 5 minutes to spare for a break).

At any one time, I read four books concurrently. They are all strategically placed at different spots in the house. (If you don’t have a book in the bathroom, you are frittering away time unawares;-). One of the four am reading now is Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations.” It’s the second time I read it, only this time at leisure. The first time it was mandatory reading for my Economics class.

The unsavory things he had to say about Africans aside, this seminal text (written in 1776) is the Magna Carta of classical economics; it lays the foundation of modern-day Capitalism: Free Markets (with limited government involvement), the “invisible hand” of the marketplace (the Law of Demand and Supply) and Taxation.

And for some wisdom to go along, I’ll quote from the book:

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.

IN OTHER WORDS: In any engagement or negotiation you enter into this week, do not ask what is in it for you (“Nfunirawa,” like we say in Uganda) but rather, ask yourself: What’s in it FOR THEM? That wisdom applies across the board for your associates and employees as much as it does for your children. People will fight to the death for your interests if you align their interests with yours. It has to be a win-win proposition, not winner-takes-all, take-it-or-leave-it position