A Book I am Working Through: The Obstacle is the Way
While I was on vacation, something popped up back at home that took my attention for a few days. To be honest, I was a bit frustrated. I had wanted to fully disconnect while I was away. Upon returning home, I reflected on my frustration with a mentor, and he immediately referenced this book. I listen to a chapter each day and love it. What if the obstacles we face really is the way forward?
From Amazon:
The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do.
Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC sportscaster (Michele Tafoya), and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Cubs, and University of Texas men’s basketball team.
The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher. As Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck.
If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way, it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.
An Email Newsletter You’ll Actually WANT to Read: On the Rise
If you’re like me, you typically try to UNSUBSCRIBE for email newsletters, not SUBSCRIBE to them. This one is different. Carey Nieuwhof sends the weekly “On the Rise” email, and you want to read it. It contains some of the best thinking on the web that you won’t access on any of Carey’s other platforms. Go ahead and give it a try!
A Quote I’m Thinking About
“Focusing exclusively on what is in our power magnifies and enhances our power.” — The Obstacle is the Way