During my morning workout today I listened to part of the fourth CD of the Earl Nightingale’s Lead the Field, a timeless classic chock full of practical wisdom and inspiration (a must have CD set and book).  Nightingale spoke convincingly of the absolute necessity of mastering one’s language to be successful - for most of us that would be the English language.  For those of us (no doubt the vast majority) having learned our English in public / government schools, we’ve not been afforded the most sterling instruction in our native tongue.  (My wife is a life long linguist and educator, and has stories to share about the misuse and abuse of language that would send chills up and down your spine).   There are countless studies that critically tie social and business advancement and success to your ability to use and understand language. 

I’ve just had the pleasure of reading a book that has sat on the shelf for a bit - William F. Buckley’s The Right Word.  I happened to have started the book the week before Buckley’s recent death, and was deeply touched by the characterization of his towering intellect, his grace under fire (and he attracted a lot of fire during his career), his genuine faith, and perhaps his best known characteristic - his flair for using the English language in a manner that staggered most of us. 

Whether you’ve been a Buckley fan or despised him (interestingly there rarely seems to be opinion in the middle regarding WFB), this book is worthy of a read to gain a glimpse into the linguistic mind of a most creative and intellectual man.  There are very useful snippets of commentary and WFB’s writing that are used to illustrate points of grammar, language usage, literary critique (which we all have to do even as real estate investors - you have to be able to read critically and carefully material that is presented to you).  There are even several fascinating lists of words that WFB favored that will enlarge and improve your word power immensely. 

We’d strongly recommend this book regardless of your political persuasion, it will inspire you to read better literature, speak and write with more clarity and power, and it will grant you a chuckle or two along the way.  We came away with a list of other books to add to our library as well.   Investing in your communication skills will yield appreciating benefit for the rest of your life. 

Technorati Tags: ,