Labour in Weightier Matters!
Idede Oseyande
“The labour of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city”- Eccl 10:15
Last month, I was invited to address the alumni association of a school in Edo State on the benefits of writing a book. In the course of the address, I made them understand that you can’t be a writer without being a reader. In essence, writing is born from the abundance of what you have read.
One of the attendees asked a question. “How do we find time to read in the hustling and bustling to earn a living?”
This question is the reason for this post.
Most people take reading as a hobby, so they don’t see how it will be productive in increasing their earnings. That is where they miss it. Reading is a way of acquiring knowledge, and so the choice of what you read should be channelled towards your career interest.
For example, when I observed my involvement in leadership positions everywhere I found myself, I knew I needed to be prepared to be more effective and to equip myself for higher roles. I started building a library with books around that subject. I got books on biographies of the leaders I aspire to be like, and I bought books that analyse how leaders make decisions, how they manage people, the outcomes of critical decisions of leaders at critical times in history and how they handled it etc.
I can’t put into words the elevation that the knowledge acquired from those books has given me. While I was acquiring career-based knowledge, I knew a few others who were busy buying romance novels for the fun of it.
Reading is not outside of your hustling and bustling. In fact, it is a core part of it. Don’t labour like a fool without knowledge. Those who understand the place of reading as a critical aspect of their career growth are the ones calling the shots in their various fields.
With easy access to the Internet, anything you don’t know is what you choose not to know.
Don’t engage in wilful ignorance.
Seek knowledge! Read a book!
Read about your job and other productive interests to enhance your knowledge.
We are in a knowledge-based economy, and if you want to increase your earnings, it is expedient that you increase your knowledge.
Selah!
Idede Oseyande
(C)2025
