How can a problem be an advantage? In The Obstacle Is The Way, Ryan Holiday shows us how we can turn challenges into opportunities by developing the right mindset. This is not a new idea. Nearly 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Through his unique blend of inspirational storytelling and ancient Stoic philosophy, Holiday guides us to better understand our relationship with adversity, pain, perseverance, and resilience. In this summary of The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday, I’ll share what I believe are the most practical takeaways.
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Summary of The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
Process focus is essential to working through or around obstacles. Break challenges into smaller tasks and work on them mindfully one by one.
Focus on finishing. When applying process focus, a useful technique is to identify small bits that need to be finished, and work with singular focus to finish them one at a time.
When something or someone moves against you, the best thing to do is accept it. The Stoics called this The Art of Acquiescence. It teaches us to accept things that are beyond our control rather than fighting them. It is not, however, passive acceptance—it is not giving up. The Art of Acquiescence is accepting the obstacle so that we can find another way around.
Interjecting your ego into a tough situation only makes it tougher. Without ego getting in the way, there are no good or bad situations; only situations.
Hardships can become a source of strength. One way to flip hardship on its head is to have a purpose bigger than yourself. Then, when you’re feeling broken, you can keep going because the desired outcome is not for you, but for the betterment of others.
Most obstacles can be deciphered by answering this question: “Will I let this break me?” If you choose to respond ‘No’, then you will find a way.
Creativity and patience will help you immensely in surmounting obstacles. There is almost always a path forward. Sometimes, we just need the right perception or more time to see it.
Many obstacles can be solved before you even encounter them. Triumph over challenge comes in the planning phase. Look for ways to mitigate and avoid, but, ultimately, be absolutely sure that your goal is bigger than any obstacle that you may encounter.
Remember that overcoming this obstacle today may teach you the skills to never need to face that same or similar obstacle again in the future.
We should always expect that there will be obstacles. We also understand that obstacles can actually empower rather than impede us. Sometimes, there are hidden opportunities within an obstacle. Other times, calling upon our inner resources to remove or bypass the obstacle teaches us new lessons about ourselves or reminds us of our strength.
Struggle can actually raise the ceiling on our abilities. Psychologists call it adversarial growth and post-traumatic growth.
Summary of The Obstacle Is The Way: Popular Quotes
“The path of least resistance is a terrible teacher.”
“Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead.”
“Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.”
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