The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph Hardcover – May 1, 2014

While I know Ryan personally, I believe that I am uniquely qualified to review this book and, after reading a lot of the comments, add to the discussion. A lot of people miss that Ryan is articulating a journey and is translating it into something edible and powerful. Something 99% of us at ANY age cannot do, even with "wisdom of experience".Storytelling has been around since the beginning of time, but actual mass communication has been around for a very short time (relatively). It looks as if the "paper book" business will become a specialty- if surviving at all. I know that Ryan knows this as he has always been quick to lend an idea, do some digging and most important- analyze and decide. As he uses as an example in his book, he pulls an Amelia Earhart and ACTS. He can talk about Tesla in the same sentence as popular games on the meat markets in early Chicago. He has read (studied) Marshall McLuhan to Malcolm Gladwell. This rabid quest to find out and face his own soul searching path- has delivered a perfect book for the RIGHT PERSON. This is not Chicken Soup for the Soul.Ryan has done WAY more and influenced WAY more decisions than he would ever talk about, but has helped untangle talent and communication complications (i.e- market properly) using many of his methods he developed under Robert Greene and even 50 Cent and Tucker Max. He helped in stealth, but in critical ways, to launch, maintain and capitalize on #1 Films, TV Shows, YouTube and MANY multi platinum musical artists. I can vouch for it myself.It is always amazing to read a review somewhere when that person has never faced down rejection and fear and can criticize anyone for at least putting their thoughts and ideas out there for judgment. To do that, when the WORLD is telling you that finishing college is the only way to go and you have the same people close to you saying that you will fail- it truly was an Obstacle to overcome. It only got more intense for Ryan, but his lessons are earned. He was led to the water, but unlike most people, he drank. How can you question the message, integrity and courage of that? Steven Pressfield, one of our generations best and most diverse authors, has called it "The Resistance". Even he endorsees the book on the dust jacket.The reason that I preface the review this way is to show you Ryan's true accomplishment here- articulating what he has learned, applying it to clear examples people can remember and also help people. There have been big choices in Ryan's life- not the least of which was whether to go in house for a safe "job" or "bet on himself". He DID what he talks about here. It is the true reflection on a part of his life and the methods HE used to combat them. This is especially important for a generation who "has ADD" and can't relate to the past. At 22- I think it would be silly to not monitor this refreshing voice and mind as he progress'. He actually went and spent time with Dr. Drew after reading his not so best selling books.Marcus Aurelius is the clear hero in this book, being compared to boxer "Hurricane" Carter (among others), while dealing with your internal power. The ideas and themes of the book seem to come from some Herman Hesse and Tom Wolfe as much as out of print magazines and long dead historical stars of their time. That is what is so attractive. Anyone should find a part of this to relate to. This is especially helpful to someone who wants a quick boost of intellect instead of trying to muscle through a biography (but he def refers to a lot of interesting people I need to read more about). Ryan does not rely on the same tired stereotyped figures from the past, but finds new, more relatable, characters and situations. Athletes, Entrepreneurs, Parents and CEO's, and those looking to look at life in a certain lens, will benefit greatly.Think you are having a bad day? Open your eyes and you will find out that another historical leader (other than Churchill) suffered severe depression while running the country that may or may not exist depending on his choices- Abraham Lincoln (didn't see a lot of that in the movie). Grant, Nietzsche and Edison all make a story about fortitude and acceptance. A much different approach than looking in a window and imaging you will get the new purse that is in there and moving on. Again- this is intended for action and not philosophy.Self Help crap would be fine if it worked, but that means there would only be one book- and it would work. Awareness. Dealing with fear and uncertainty. Mindful and deliberate. Shame and guilt. Accountability and results. How did other people deal with this? Only through careful research do these stories become just as powerful to the man who believes that history is a verb as they are to someone just trying to make it through their day.The point is- you are not alone. In fact, you are not even close to being the first person today to experience multiple obstacles. It is comforting to see how adversity has been confronted in the past. This is a book for those who believe in Realpolitik and seeing life for what it is. I would say it is the actual back up action plan to what a mystical book like the Mayan based best seller, "The 4 Agreements", is. Although the book is very much based on stoic principles it makes no judgements about your belief system in a macro way.I can see how this book can have some legs for people try to cope with a new world where you have too much or think you have too little- information to ingest. It is a reference book that can be returned to over and over.Ryan Holiday is an important voice in the book space these days. Mostly because he is willing to actually commit to writing good books as well as growing his digital presence quickly. Non fiction at that age in 2014 is pretty impressive and patient. He can deal w Dov Charney, 50 Cent, Tucker Max and many others- due to his diversity. His "Read to Lead" mentality is refreshing and way more valuable than any class. He has a Best Seller in "Growth Hacking" at the same time, so holding his own with decades older armchair authors, while understanding the generation gap in communication is not such a bad way to describe this book.And finally...yes- he uses the bible as reference at times..

I dedicated 30 minutes a dayvreading this book, I would spend the rest of the day reflecting on what I had read. The book is written in such a way that we can take the examples and apply them to our own lives. This is a book that I will reference often.

The crux of this extremely well written and readable book, is the basis of Stoic philosophy. When faced with with obstacles, they present you with opportunities to be defeated or opportunities to learn. The greats of the past became the greats because they chose the latter option. In this way ‘defeats’ are opportunities to learn and be better next time. Hence embrace obstacles for they are opportunities to grow.Here there are many types of obstacles that are examined and how they have been turned to advantages. I do not believe that there is one person alive today who would not benefit from reading and applying the ideas in this book.

The book quality was great and the large print was really helpful. Passed it to my mum who really enjoyed it as the larger print made it much more comfortable for her to read. Great writing and lessons within the book. Definitely a must read for anyone trying to become more stoic and planning to learn more about the wisdom from the great stoics.

This one is from Ryan Holiday, the same author that wrote The Daily Stoic, the book I reviewed last week that I'm currently reading daily since it is set up like a daily devotional.It scores a 4.6 on Amazon with 899 reviews and a 4.09 on Goodreads with 820 reviews. I try to make it a practice of only checking out reviews after I've read a book so I don't have any preconceived notions about what I'm getting into. I'm glad I did that here because some of the lower reviews were blistering on this one and I may not have picked it up.I enjoyed this one for it's simplicity and the tales interwoven throughout the book of famous individuals who overcame adversity to find great success. I was aware of many of them but learned of a few more along the way.The book is divided into three parts that describe some of the tenants of Stoic philosophy. Part I is on perception which focuses on how we view obstacles. The key piece here is that obstacles should be viewed as opportunities to learn.Part II is all about action. This one is pretty self-explanatory. When we come across adversity we just need to keep moving and pushing through tough times. Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. I couldn't agree more on this theme.Part III is on will. This one again is fairly self-explanatory but Ryan makes a point of distinguishing between persistence and perseverance with the focus aimed to be on the latter.Throughout the book you'll find great snippets from some of the great Stoic philosophers like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius along with quotes from more recent notables such as Thoreau, Nietzsche, and Teddy Roosevelt.This book flows well and can be read in one evening. Part I was the most enjoyable part for me and it slowed up a little for parts II and III. It's definitely a great book to pick up for anyone that's going through any adversity. It gives good ideas on how to overcome and the antidotes provide good examples of those who have flipped adversity and obstacles around to attain great success.Oddly enough, many of the most successful people I know and associate with have gone through some kind of life struggle and it's been a key piece of why they've found success. How are you handling the adversity in your life? Are you using it as an excuse or are you using it as an opportunity to learn and grow? How you handle these obstacles may well determine your future. Choose wisely my friends!

Fluid read and great examples of perception action and will. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to recalling good advice and critical tenets to practice stoicism.

I think deep down we all know this…but get bogged down with emotions that blind us to the way. The obstacle IS the way.

The best book I read in 2024. If you are ever discouraged or wondering why things seem to always happen to you, you need to read this book.