The Obstacle is the Way - Book Review
“It’s okay to be discouraged. It’s not okay to quit. To know you want to quit but to plant your feet and keep inching closer until you take the impenetrable fortress you’ve decided to lay siege to in your own life—that’s persistence.”
Ryan Holiday - The Obstacle is the Way
When we think about goals and achieving them, most people will at some point encounter things that make said goal impossible. It might be physical or a mental thing that holds you back, and these obstacles are the very thing that keep us from going all the way to achieving and becoming who we’re meant to be. Ryan Holiday has written a fantastic book, The Obstacle is the Way. I’d read it around 3 years ago and was meant to write about it, but hey, it’s 2024 now. No better time to do the thing you said you were going to do.
This book will change the way you think about your goals and it certainly will change the way you think about the challenges that come your way.
The title of this book was interestingly influenced by a quote from Meditations, a book of personal reflections by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
I’ve grown used to anticipating and reading Ryan Holiday’s work for a while now, but this one will always be a standout to me. It’s a way of thinking and reflecting that I find fascinating. In all honesty, this will probably be a life long process.
What I truly love about this book is how Holiday draws on timeless wisdom from Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus to present a compelling argument that obstacles are not impediments to success but rather opportunities for growth and transformation.
Here are the main points of the book that stood out to me:
Perception: Holiday emphasises the importance of controlling our perceptions of obstacles. He explains that the way we perceive challenges determines our response to them. By adopting a Stoic mindset and viewing obstacles as opportunities for learning and improvement, we can overcome adversity with resilience and clarity.
Action: Rather than being paralysed by fear or uncertainty, Holiday advocates for a proactive approach rooted in Stoic principles. He stresses the significance of taking decisive action in the face of obstacles.
Will: Holiday underscores the power of will and resilience in navigating obstacles. Drawing on examples from history, he illustrates how individuals like Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln overcame seemingly insurmountable challenges through sheer determination and perseverance. By cultivating a strong will and embracing adversity as an opportunity for growth, we can unlock our full potential.
Adversity as Advantage: One of the central themes of the book is the idea that adversity can be turned into an advantage. Holiday talks about how obstacles provide us with an opportunity to develop strength, resilience, and wisdom. By reframing our perspective and embracing the challenges we encounter, we can harness their transformative potential and emerge stronger and wiser.
Acceptance: That word is always difficult to swallow but Holiday writes so well about accepting the obstacles we face with equanimity and grace. Rather than resisting or resenting adversity, he encourages us to embrace it as an inevitable part of the human experience. By accepting the reality of our circumstances and focusing on our response, we can transcend adversity and achieve lasting fulfillment.
Overall, ‘The Obstacle is the Way’ offers a compelling synthesis of Stoic philosophy and practical advice for overcoming life's challenges.
Through engaging storytelling and insightful analysis, Ryan Holiday inspires readers to adopt a mindset of resilience, resourcefulness, and growth in the face of adversity.