read non-fiction books.

"When was the last time you read a book?" This was the question my middle school, high school, and now college teachers/professors asked my class before assigning a book to read. I would never answer out loud, feeling embarrassed each time. My mind would scramble to figure out when I last opened a book. Like many of my peers, I read a lot as a child until 5th grade. I was mesmerized by fantasy novels such as Percy Jackson and Warriors (cat book series), so much so that I begged my parents to buy me a bed light to read book series after series well past midnight.

But as I grew older, my reading habits declined. I forgot my town even had a public library, and when I did go, it would be for the computer lab and Xbox station to play video games. This never bothered me because I didn't feel I was missing out on much.

It dawned upon me during my senior year of high school that I was missing out on something big. I was deep into my self-improvement arc during May 2023, and all my social media accounts would push content promoting stereotypical self-improvement books such as 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. I bought into the hype, and it was definitely worth it. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. It perfectly balanced historical evidence and practical ways to use the information in everyday life.

I went down a rabbit hole, purchasing more books than I could read. However, it didn't matter to me as I firmly believed I would get around to reading all of them eventually. And now, in the present, I am almost done with a good portion of them, and I will definitely say I feel much more intelligent than ever before. All the "old" ideas in my books proved gold.

Picking up books again after turning 18 was the best decision I have made in my short life. It opened up a new realm of knowledge to conquer while improving myself simultaneously.

So, with that being said, if you genuinely want to be more successful and find a cure to your boredom, definitely see a non-fiction book about a topic you like and read it. Non-fiction books are a treasure trove of knowledge that can broaden your horizons and enrich your life.