An email I received early December from a young fan from Koforidua - Eastern Region - prompted this week’s topic. As a student in a tertiary institution, he found it worrisome that some of his mates could not read when invited to do so at lectures. He requested, “It is my humble wish that you write an article to draw the attention of tertiary students to the importance of personal development”. Yes, sir! How could one possibly resist such a noble concern from a bold warrior! Rather than dismiss the request, the time is ripe to arrest this very common ailment afflicting a great many youngsters. There are so many uncanny distractions these days that the appeal needed emphasis and a redeeming action. Among the greatest gifts that schools and adults can give our youth are the reading skills that guide one – through the years - to discern wisdom, character, and fortitude necessary for quality thinking and living. Reading is not only pivotal in exploring bold thresholds and possibilities but it is also a source of rejuvenation. It is not for nothing that market women, farmers and traders - who may never have seen the innards of classrooms - devote substantial sums to educate their sons and daughters. Additionally, in the instructions for the various professions – business, banking, medicine, engineering, teaching, entrepreneurship, law, etc, quality reading offers the standards by which prudent judgments are made, and thus provide for one’s upward professional mobility. There are presently greater opportunities for reading quality materials than ever imagined through the proliferation of great articles and books across the various disciplines, and many are accessible from the internet. I recommend the following tips for high school and tertiary students: One, it behoves every student to develop special interests in particular subjects or vocation, and grow from there. Find appropriate places to learn, think, and work. Remember that your education is your responsibility. Take charge of it with your head, heart, and soul. That is to say, explore, identify and develop your innate gifts, and give them to yourself, and by extension for others to benefit from you. As the good book affirms, “A man’s gift makes room for him; and brings him before great men.” Two, begin to collect the appropriate learning materials accordingly. Reading materials and books are where you find them. Look everywhere, and depending on your own interest you will find exactly what you want. [Once, I stopped by a street corner near La Paz, Accra, and noticed a pile of used books scattered in the sun for sale on a store front. I rummaged through the stacks and found three collectible items: 1. a classic history book (covering 1914 – 1945) by the noted Oxford historian, A.J.P. Taylor; 2. a Louis Armstrong Story (1900 – 1971) including the famous African-American trumpeter’s trip to Ghana in the 1960s dubbed “Pepsi Brings You Satchmo”; and 3. an out of print book on Jan Christian Smuts, one of the architects of the infamous apartheid regime. It depicted the historical mindsets of the settler characters and the Boers of South Africa from 1870 to the aftermath of World War II.] Three, start your very own library from scratch. Start small – with one or two favourite books. Build a book shelf, or have a friendly carpenter build one for you at a reasonable cost; and watch your library grow abundantly – shelf by shelf. Make appropriate shelves for smaller and larger books, and also for binders. Once you put your mind to it, nothing can stop you except yourself. Invest your money not only in mobile phones, talking units, and videos; but also in the lifelong habit of reading for personal growth, professional pursuits, and for pleasure. Four, for your examination purposes, capitalise on the Course Outlines and Contents for a start. Trace the course materials from everywhere including the internet; print them out, organize and bind them for further studies, and posterity. Five, consider various reading materials and passages of interest from quality newspapers, weeklies, magazines, etc. Photocopy them and store in binders as well. Avoid anything that is crass and insulting; lodge your interests in solid ideas; go for substance. Six, as you read your selections, you may consider the following method for optimising your learning: Use various colours as markers - green, red, blue, etc - for particular purposes: For example, green to underline new ideas or ones you already hold dear; red for topics or suggestions you may like to pursue later; and blue for words, cutting edge phrases, or language you find exemplary. Visit such annotations often; they will leave indelible impressions on your subconscious mind, so you may grow exponentially from there. Seven, be quite discerning in your choices. Deposit in your subconscious mind only those qualitative suggestions that elevate, heal, bless, and inspire you daily. The subconscious mind is God’s proven tool for humanity. Learn to respect and use it. Quality thoughts make quality living and service possible. As a guide, attend often to the question, “What on earth am I here for?” posed in Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life”. Stay blessed, healthy, steady, and ready. Ghana is a most beautiful country, and needs your gifts badly! Happy reading through the New Year, and beyond.