Years ago, I was on a flight from Minneapolis to New York, when a businessman sitting next to me reached in his briefcase and pulled out my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.”

I was going crazy inside, and blurted out, “How do you like that book?”

“Well,” he said, “My boss gave me a choice of three business books to read. I picked this one because it was the shortest.”

Talk about a letdown, but at least he was reading. And I sincerely hope that the short chapters and many business lessons gave him plenty of take-home value.

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, March is designated as National Reading Month -- a month to motivate Americans of all ages to read every day. Reading is fun and has many benefits, regardless of your age. It's a key component of education and professional development. Books illuminate your imagination, enhance your vocabulary, build confidence and improve memory, writing and communication skills. Reading also has immediate and long-lasting health benefits, such as increased cognitive function, empathy and decreased levels of stress.

I love this quote from famed speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones: “Don’t read to be big, read to be down to earth. Don’t read to be smart, read to be wise. Don’t read to memorize, read to realize. Don’t read to just learn, read to sometimes unlearn."

People’s lives change in two ways -- the people they meet and the books they read.

Charlie Jones first uttered something similar to this, and I have repeated this point every speech I’ve given to corporate audiences. I believe it’s that important. You cannot open a book without learning something.

Whenever I read a book, I want to get at least one idea from it that I can use the rest of my life.

Books are easier to access now than ever before. I keep several downloaded on my phone and iPad when I’m traveling -- much easier than when my briefcase was bulging with reading material in the “old days.” Audiobooks have long been one of my go-to pastimes.

Bestselling author Og Mandino said: “Many years ago, when I was just about as complete a failure as one can become, I began to spend a good deal of time in libraries, looking for some answers. I found all the answers I needed in that golden vein of ore that every library has.”

Radio, television, computers and the internet were proclaimed to be the final replacement for conventional books when each first became popular. But more books than ever are being published, and more copies are being sold. Here’s my prediction: Traditional paper pages will not become extinct anytime soon. There’s just something about turning the pages that keeps you engaged.

Books are a great source to learn from top mentors in all subjects, even when you can’t meet with them personally.

Books offer a remarkable flexibility. There are so many excellent books written every year, and if the information in one doesn’t grab your attention, you can try another author’s approach.

Inscribed on the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress are the first eight words of this quotation by philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau: “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and more than kings or emperors exert an influence on mankind.”

Do you realize that just 200 years ago, only about 12% of the world’s population could read and write? Today, that number is between 85% and 90%. Just imagine the progress made as the world becomes more literate. The possibilities are limitless.

Mackay’s Moral: Reading helps install new software in brains.

As I watched the athletes perform at the recent Winter Olympic Games, I could only imagine their tremendous desire, determination and dedication, not to mention commitment, enthusiasm and mental toughness. They set goals and prepared. They had discipline.

It’s the same in business.

It doesn’t matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts or life in general. The difference between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.

Discipline is all about setting goals, figuring out a schedule to achieve those goals and then following your plan.

Discipline turns ability into achievement. Dreams may get you started, but discipline keeps you going. Talent without discipline is nothing more than wasted opportunity.

Zig Ziglar said, “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action,and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”

I believe discipline is the difference between good and great.

Most people aim to do right; they just fail to pull the trigger. For whatever reason, they just don’t have the wherewithal to finish the job. They lack discipline.

Good intentions aren’t enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or a workout. Suddenly it gets a lot easier to miss again -- and again and again.

“Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built,” said the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn. “Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure. Discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment ... the glue that binds inspiration to achievement ... the magic that turns financial necessity into the creation of an inspired work of art.”

Whenever I eyeball a resume for a management job at my envelope company, I look for evidence of self-discipline. As candidates have prepared themselves for past jobs, did they identify and master three to five key self-disciplines essential to future success?

I’m looking for specific examples beyond just showing up for work. Did they take leadership on difficult projects that required developing new skills? Were they flexible when original plans had to be adjusted to conform to changing needs? Could they put ego aside when others had better ideas? Were they able to maintain control when challenged by customers or co-workers?

Keeping focused when things are going well is often as difficult as doing so when glitches surface. Self-discipline is what finishes the job. Managers especially need to model self-discipline so that their teams observe how it’s done and can follow their example.

And employees aren’t the only ones who see discipline in action. Customers take notice of how organizations conduct themselves. If they see a sloppy operation, they assume shoddy results. If they see a well-oiled machine, their confidence in the final product increases.

Discipline means you are prepared to do the things you don’t always want to do in order to get the results you need to get. As difficult as that sounds, consider the alternative. Allow yourself to take the easy way out, and that’s exactly what you will find: the way out the door.

Discipline isn’t optional. It’s an investment in your future.

Here's a story to drive the point home. A family was gathered for dinner one night when the youngest son announced that he had just enlisted in the Army. There were audible gasps around the table, then some laughter, as his older brothers shared their disbelief that he could handle this new situation.

“Oh, come on, quit joking,” snickered one.

“You didn’t really do that, did you?” asked another. “You would never get through basic training.”

Finally, his father spoke up. “It’s going to take a lot of discipline. Are you ready for that?”

The new recruit looked to his mother for help, but she was just gazing at him. When she finally spoke, she simply asked, “Do you really plan to make your own bed every morning?”

Mackay’s Moral: Keep your head and heart going in the right direction and you’ll never have to worry about your feet.

Why is it that the people who make the worst use of their time are the same ones who complain that there is never enough time?

The late management guru Peter Drucker, often called the “father of modern management,” said, “Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.”

I agree with author and salesman Percy Whiting, who said: “Time is a fixed income, and as with any income, the real problem facing us is how to work successfully with our daily allotment. Plan each day down to the moment, because once time is wasted, you can never get it back.”

I’m a big believer in preparation to save time. Whether I was selling for our envelope manufacturing company or meeting a colleague for a volunteer project, I made sure the people I was calling on were available. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time for both parties.

You don’t ever want to be like the salesman who was having the biggest sales day of his life in a little clothing store. The more he talked, the more a certain customer ordered. The salesman left thinking he was a superstar until he phoned in his order.

When the sales manager heard the name of the customer, he burst into laughter. The boss asked, “Did you check the credit book?”

The salesman’s bubble burst. No wonder they had been eager to order from him. His “great” customer never paid his bills. It was a wasted day and a costly lesson.

Time is precious, which is why February is Time Management Month. Spend it wisely and stop wasting time on unimportant things.

As my friend Jim Rohn said, “Days are expensive. When you spend a day, you have one less day to spend. Make sure you spend each one wisely.”

If you feel like you are always trying to beat the clock, it’s time to evaluate where your time actually goes. We like to think we are experts at multitasking, but that generally means diverting attention from one project to another. When you are juggling several projects, organization is critical. Trust me, unless you have your ducks in a row, you will soon be drowning in inefficiency.

Here's what I recommend: Start with a priority list and establish what needs to be accomplished before you can turn your attention elsewhere. Plan your day/week/month according to how much time you need to allot to each item. I also schedule a slot for other distractions, phone calls, emails and such. Sometimes it’s just 15 minutes, but that allows me to stay focused on the big items.

Do your research so you are prepared to see the project through. How much help will you need? What resources are available or necessary? What can you delegate? What deadlines do you need to meet?

Just remember: Time is the one resource that you cannot buy or replace. It’s yours to use however you choose. Choose well.

This silly story illustrates why we need to make every minute count.

One morning, a lazy man asked the king, “Why does everyone say that I can’t do anything on time?”

The king answered, “Let’s make a deal. Before sunset, you come to my treasury and collect as much gold and pearls as you can. They will all be yours.”

The man rushed home to his wife. He explained everything, and his wife said, “Go and get the gold and gems now. Time is gold for you.”

The lazy man sat down and said, “I can’t go now. Give me lunch first.”

After having lunch, he decided to take a short nap, but instead slept for two hours. Then, late in the afternoon, he picked a few bags and went toward the king’s treasury. On the way, he felt hot, so he sat down under a tree to rest and ended up sleeping for another five hours. When he finally reached the palace, it was already sunset, and the palace gates had been shut. He lost the golden chance to get rich just because he didn’t know the value of time.

Mackay’s Moral: You are the only one who can waste your time.