Stoicism, the ancient Greek concept of enduring suffering or hardship with fortitude and resiliency, serves as the basis for the work. Stoics let go of everything else, concentrate on what they can control, and use every new challenge as a chance to grow stronger, better, and more resilient. Nearly two millennia ago, Marcus Aurelius stated: ”
The obstacle to action promotes action.” The obstruction becomes the path. Ryan Holiday demonstrates how some of the greatest achievers in history, including Steve Jobs, Amelia Earhart, John D. Rockefeller, and Ulysses S. Grant, have used stoicism to get through challenging or even impossible circumstances.
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In the end, their adherence to these values was more significant than their innate brilliance, skills, or good fortune. This book can assist you in transforming your challenges into your greatest assets if you’re feeling discouraged, frustrated, or trapped in a rut. Numerous actual tales of the greats from all ages and eras will also motivate you along the road.
About the Author
Ryan Holiday is among the best-selling living philosophers in the world. His works, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness Is the Key, The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and The Daily Stoic, have sold over 5 million copies and are available in over 40 languages.
When combined, they have been on the best-selling lists for more than 300 weeks. Living outside of Austin, he has two boys, his wife, and a small herd of goats, donkeys, and cows. Bastrop, Texas’s historic Main Street is home to his bookshop, The Painted Porch.
Review
This one is written by Ryan Holiday, who also wrote The Daily Stoic, which I reviewed last week and am presently reading every day since it functions as a daily devotional. With 899 reviews, it has a 4.6 rating on Amazon, while with 820 reviews, it has a 4.09 rating on Goodreads.
To avoid having any preconceived ideas about what I’m entering into, I try to make it a habit to only read reviews after finishing a book. Since I might not have seen some of the harsher evaluations on this one, I’m glad I did that here.
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This one appealed to me since it was straightforward and told stories of well-known people who overcome hardship to achieve remarkable accomplishment. Though I discovered a few more along the road, I was already aware of many of them.
Some of the tenets of Stoic philosophy are described in the book’s three sections. Perception is covered in Part I, which focuses on how we perceive barriers. The important thing to remember is that challenges should be seen as teaching moments.
The focus of Part II is action. This one should go without saying. We just need to keep going and persevering through difficult moments when we encounter hardship. Perfect inactivity is preferable to imperfect action. I wholeheartedly concur with this idea.
Part III is optional. Again, this one should go without saying, but Ryan makes a point of differentiating between perseverance and persistence, with the latter being the main focus. Along with quotations from more current luminaries like Thoreau, Nietzsche, and Teddy Roosevelt, the book has excellent excerpts from some of the greatest Stoic thinkers, including Seneca and Marcus Aurelius.
You may finish reading this book in a single evening since it flows beautifully. I found Part I to be the most engaging, but Parts II and III dragged down a bit. It’s unquestionably a fantastic book for anyone experiencing hardship.
It offers helpful advice on how to overcome, and the anecdotes offer admirable instances of people who have overcome hardship and setbacks to achieve remarkable accomplishment. Surprisingly, a lot of the most prosperous individuals I know and work with have experienced some form of hardship in their lives, and this has been a major factor in their success.
In what ways are you managing the challenges in your life? Do you see it as a chance to develop and learn, or are you using it as an excuse? Your future may be determined by how you respond to these challenges. Pick carefully, my friends!
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Summary
Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle is the Way, is a stoic manual that shows us how to use ingenuity and tenacity to transform our setbacks into opportunities that lead to both career and personal success.
An excellent book. Through his publications, Ryan has provided us readers with a wide range of knowledge based on his understanding of stoicism. The same is true of this book. Very, very simply explains why overcoming hardship is essential to success. supports his arguments with historical examples in addition to stoicism. In a sense, it is a history lesson as well as a fantastic self-help book.