When in doubt, read your way out

Lisa and I sat at the round walnut dining table yesterday, drawing and catching up. I thought I’d want to write about reading today, so I drew a book.

I’ve been writing about reading a lot lately, which reminded me of one of my all-time favorite sayings: When in doubt, read your way out.

Leading a new project at work in an unfamiliar area? When in doubt, read your way out! Are there blog posts or books out there on the subject matter at hand? Or essays on leading a team through similarly thorny circumstances?

Entering a new life phase, like preparing to be a parent? When in doubt, read your way out! I’ve been reading a mix of parenting and pregnancy books (The Happiest Baby on the Block, Expecting Better, Like a Mother) and memoirs that touch on motherhood (And Now We Have Everything, Blood, Bones & Butter).

Trying to get interested in something you have to do, but don’t want to? When in doubt, read your way out! The other day, I wrote about how I read myself out of a rut in how was relating to home life.

It’s such a cheery, obvious-sounding phrase. But it helps me a lot—especially now that my husband reminds me of it! Whenever I end up on the doubt train, finding a book to bring along for the ride helps me to feel like I’m getting somewhere.