During my recent sabbatical I became obsessed with reading. Not since my teenage years, when I loved to read fiction, have I found such comfort and enjoyment in books. Somewhere in the last two decades reading had become a chore, something I did when I had to, and rarely with any great joy. So to have this healthy addiction back in my life was unexpected, and very welcome.

I want to share with you, my LinkedIn friends and colleagues, the best books I read during sabbatical, both to appease the algorithm overlords with a content sacrifice, and to ask, “What have YOU been reading lately?”.

While attending a conference a few years ago, I stumbled into a talk on “Growth Mindset,” a concept I knew nothing about. It was one of those moments that completely upended my understanding of talent and intelligence. The speaker challenged my core beliefs, revealing that intelligence isn’t fixed at birth and that persistence trumps talent. This revelation had profound implications for how I viewed my own potential and the way I praised others. Embracing a growth mindset means believing that abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence. This simple yet transformative idea can lead to significant improvements in personal and professional growth.

In today's fast-paced digital age, the constant barrage of emails, notifications, and digital distractions can make it challenging to focus on meaningful work. Many of us find ourselves trapped in a cycle of "shallow work," where we spend our days busy but unfulfilled, without making significant progress on our most important tasks.

But what if there was a better way? What if we could reclaim our focus and productivity by mastering the art of deep work?

Putting any prerequisite in the way of loving yourself is a fast path to misery, but it’s something successful people do all the time.