PR lesson from Malcolm X and how to get a rich mind
Your mind has a constant thirst for more knowledge. If you are able to satisfy that thirst, your mind will stay rich and active for the rest of your life.
As a public relations professional or business person, how do you get a rich mind? It’s easier than you think, and Malcolm X can provide some insight.
Malcolm X, spent most of his six and a half years in prison reading books—day and night. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, he wrote about his nightly reading habits:
“At one-hour intervals, the night guards paced past every room. Each time I heard the approaching footsteps, I jumped into bed and feigned sleep. As soon as the guard passed, I got back out of bed onto the floor area of that light glow, where I would read for another 58 minutes—until the guard approached again. That went on until three or four every morning.
He was physically caged within the walls of the prison, but his mind was free. That’s the power of a rich mind. No matter how isolated you are, your mind will never be alone. It will be rich in knowledge and ideas.
A mind full of knowledge is rich, while a mind that lacks knowledge is poor. You know how people say, “It takes money to make money”?
The point is that once you have money, you can invest that money to generate more of it. At some point, you’ll have enough money that it’s actually hard to lose your wealth.
The same is true with your mind. Once you have a rich mind, it can only get richer.
Mental compounding interest.
We’ve all heard about the magic of compounding interest. Something equally powerful is mental compounding interest.
The truth is that you only need to spend one hour a day to improve your mind.
It’s called The Munger Technique, inspired by the investor Charlie Munger. He believes that if you dedicate your best hour of the day to improving your mind, you’ll improve your life on every level. Developing a rich mind is the most important thing you can do. As a public relations or entrepreneur, when you enrich your mind, you’re hardly ever bored or confused.
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