About Read it, Spread it

Read it spread it is a project created by me, Dan Johnson, to encourage people to inspire each other and to openly express their inspiration.

How did it start?

Several things led me to the idea of Read it, Spread it:

I had been thinking about what inspires me the most, and found that some of times I've felt most inspired have been just after finishing a really great book. I also contemplated the number of really great, inspirational books that were now gathering dust on my bookshelf.

One of the books I had read recently was Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann, (one of the most inspiring novels I've ever read). I had borrowed it from a friend, and I noticed that inside the front cover was a handwritten personal message from whoever had given that book to her. I don't recall the details of what it said, but I remember feeling moved that this person had added a personal touch to an otherwise ordinary gift, and I wondered if reading the message first made the book more meaningful to me.

Then my boss gave me a book on leadership - Tribes by Seth Godin - as he said it would help me with a leadership course I'm taking part in. He also said that when I'd finished reading it, I should 'pay it forward' to someone who would really benefit from it.

I love the film Pay it Forward, and the idea that when someone does something kind for you, you should pass on that kindness to someone else, to spread the kindness outwards, rather than keeping it between two people.

Then I happened to read somewhere that 80% of American families didn't buy or read a book last year, and that 58% of American adults never read another book after high school.

All of these thoughts stewed together for a while as I considered how I could get people more inspired by reading. The solution I came up with is to spread your inspiration. Simply reading a good book and recommending it to someone else isn't going to do it. They might buy it, they might not. But if you dedicate that book to someone, and express what it means to you, you won't fail to inspire them.