Leaders Read#119

👋 Hello everyone,

Cal Newport said, “Your world is the outcome of what you pay attention to.”

Here are a few resources you might have missed:

• Book notes: Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday

• Book notes: The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

• All 205 Book notes for your enjoyment

• Catch-up: #1 - #118 Leaders Read Newsletters

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📚 Book Summary:

This week's book is "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale.

First published in 1952, The Power of Positive Thinking reflects its Christian faith roots and may not be for everyone—it challenged me at times—but it’s striking to read about “pressure” from a time before nonstop notifications, Slack, and calendar overload, and still find insights that hold up today.

One of my favorite takeaways from the book is this:

Every day, we perform a series of acts designed to care for the body properly. We bathe, brush our teeth, and take exercise. In a similar fashion, we should give time and planned effort to keeping the mind in a healthy state. One way to do this is to sit quietly and pass a series of peaceful thoughts through the mind. For example, pass through the thoughts the memory of a lofty mountain, a misty valley, a sun-speckled trout stream, silver moonlight on water. At least once in every twenty-four hours, preferably in the busiest part of the day, deliberately stop whatever you are doing for ten or fifteen minutes and practice serenity. There are times when it is essential resolutely to check our headlong pace, and it must be emphasized that the only way to stop is to stop.

✅ Actionable advice:

At your best, you recognize that rest is not a reward; it is a requirement. Brendan Burchard, author of High Performance Habits, argues that burnout is often just fatigue—and that a short mental reset can dramatically improve how we feel and perform. That reset may be a brief walk away from your desk or ten uninterrupted minutes connecting with someone about something other than work. Treat your mental health with the same strategic intent you apply to business outcomes. This is the wisdom behind putting on your own oxygen mask first—to protect your judgment, energy, and presence by deliberately stopping at the very moments when pace and pressure are highest.

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Have a great week!