If their child is not feeling well virtually every parent in America will ask, “Do you have a temperature?”  We deem this the most important gauge of someone’s physical wellbeing.

But, what question should I answer if I want to assess my OVERALL well being?  What question should I ask myself to help me determine how I am doing, INSIDE?  Knowing yourself is essential to asking the right question.

Think about it……what one question, if answered correctly, is the best measure of your well being?  For me, it is reading.  More specifically, I can ask myself the question, “Am I reading for enrichment and pleasure, regularly?”  I have found that when I am taking time to read for enrichment and pleasure I am taking time to nourish my inner life and when I am nourishing my inner life I tend to make better use of my other time.  When I read I am also being contemplative, which means I am generally taking time to think and choose rather than simply react to life’s circumstances.

I made this personal observation a number of years ago and it surfaced again this week as I read an article on reading in China. A recent survey by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication found that Chinese people read 4.390 books per capita in the last year.   This figure trails far behind major developed countries: American ( 7/year), French and Japan (8.4) and South Korea (11).  And, on average, Chinese people allocated just over 15 minutes/day to reading compared to almost 100 watching television and 45 for the internet.  As you can see, the Chinese adage passed from parents to children, “a book holds a house of gold” is not being observed.

Maybe because I believe it, or maybe because it is true, I have always believed the slogan I have heard often from those I listen to: “readers are leaders.”  Readers are cultivating their inner life. Readers are continually learning.  Reading, for me, is that “temperature gauge” that tells me how I am doing.

Many of you are students beginning a new fall semester.  Determine what question you should ask yourself in appraising your own well being.  Is it reading?  What about things like: taking time for friends, adequate sleep, exercise, spirituality, walks, vacation etc.?  When you determine what factor is most important to your well being, put it in your schedule, regularly, and determine that regardless of busyness etc. you will take time for it.  By taking this simple step, we will all be healthier individuals, INSIDE and out.