The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday

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Not long ago I heard Ryan Holiday interviewed on a Podcast I subscribe to and found his story quite interesting. Hugely successful at a young age (read more about Holiday here), Holiday is an entrepreneur who looks to the wisdom of the Stoics to guide both his direction in business and in life.

The Stoics look at setbacks (The Obstacle) as opportunities. Removing the emotion from a setback, bum luck, or pretty terrible life occurrences forces you to see them from a completely different perspective. If you can't react emotionally, how do you react? Logically. Sensibly. Judiciously.

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." 

~ Marcus Aurelius

How we respond to trial and tribulation is, in and of itself, what eventually defines us. Holiday argues throughout the book that obstacles don't inhibit success, they create it. He discusses the disciplines of Perception, Action, and Will, using important figures from history as examples of those who overcame obstacles to achieve mightily. Amelia Earhart, Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant, Steve Jobs, and John D. Rockefeller among others are counted as examples of historical figures who were able to meet adversity and overcome it in ways that exceeded societal expectations. 

As a whole, I'd have to admit that much of the book was common sense to me. However, it never hurts to read more about persistence and perseverance as both of these characteristics are in short supply at times in our society. The more persistent people we can add to this world, the better!

Happy reading!

Summer reading is the very best. Sadly, during the school year, I don't get all that much time to read. One would think it's a foregone conclusion that librarians read at least a little, if not a lot, during their typical work day. However, that would be a grossly incorrect assumption. Sometimes I try to squeeze in a few chapters when the library is especially quiet and serene (which isn't all that often when you're talking high schoolers). 

Lately, to bridge the gap between my DESIRE to read and my TIME to read, I've taken to listening to quite a few audiobooks. This summer, I almost constantly had a book going in my car as I traveled, in my ear as I did lawn work, or in my ear as I ran my daily miles or walked with my dogs. This has been, quite possibly, one of the best reading summers of my life as a result! Below you'll find the list of my "summer reads" along with links to summaries of them.

It is my hope (and of course it certainly rests eternal) that I will be able to give my own review of some of these as the year moves ahead as well as books I read (listen to? Can you still say "read"?!?) along the way. I started this blog A LONG time ago...elevenish years I think...and I'd like to update it more frequently starting now!

Mrs. Karcz's Summer Reads

• The American Spirit by David McCullough             
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield             
• Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
• A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz
• Calico Joe by John Grisham
• The Ranger Way by Kris Paronto
• The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
• Last Words by Michael Koryta
• This Life I Live by Rory Feek
• Gizelle's Bucket List by Lauren Fern Watt
• Deep Work  by Cal Newport
• The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg