Charity's Reading Log

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!