One thing I didn’t emphasize enough in the above article is how crucial reading has been in my life. If there’s one common trait I noticed while reading the autobiographies of great leaders and successful CEOs, it’s this: they love to read. They consume ideas constantly. Reading expands your thinking in ways nothing else really can.

The irony is that school often makes this harder by forcing students to read books they may not connect with. I didn’t fall in love with reading because of a required syllabus. It happened later. After graduation, my graduation gift was a month-long backpacking trip through Europe. On a train ride, I struck up a conversation with three other travelers. Every one of them had a book in hand. They loved reading. I remember thinking, “I need that.”

So I asked them their favorite books. I still remember the titles: Was (by Geoff Ryman), The Secret History (by Donna Tartt), and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I bought them. I read them. And something clicked.

I really enjoyed reading!

From that point on, whenever I became curious about something, I read about it. I added to my knowledge. I added skills. I became a better person. That habit became a lifelong advantage. More than any single strategy or tactic, developing a love for reading has been the most important factor in my success.

If you want to change your trajectory, start with books. Not the ones assigned to you, rather the ones that pull you in.