Book Summary - The obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday

 Ryan Holiday, has taken the philosophy of stoicism and bought it into everyone’s living rooms by simplifying complex notions from stoics like the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, statesman Seneca, a former slave turned professor Epictetus. He has made it relevant for the modern-day individual with plethora of examples and actionable wisdom.

The premise of this book is that the unique path your life takes is due to the obstacles you encounter on the path you wanted to take. What stands in the way becomes the way – this book shows how you can use the interconnected disciplines of perception, action and will; to see clearly, act correctly, and accept the world as it is. It is a good read to equip you for any challenge life throws your way.

Perception

Is about building the muscle to see an opportunity within the obstacle. Skills to cultivate: -

• Steady your nerves – acknowledge what you are feeling and consciously discard the unhelpful emotions. This skill sets the base for the rest to follow
• Tell yourself a story of the event using context and framing that would be beneficial to you. Story telling is a powerful tool to change your perspective. As Rumi says: Behave as if everything is rigged in your favor.
• Look at all angles of your current situation to find the opportunity in it

With perspective, we discover leverage we didn't know we had. After this, we are prepared to act as a calmer mind makes for steadier hands.

Action

Is about making the most of your situation with what you have. Skills to cultivate here: -

• Bias to action – Start. Continue. Stay Moving. Do the next activity well without focusing on outcomes. Keep trying, persistently.
• Treat failure as a learning experience. When you start again, you start from experience and not from scratch.
• Act like a strategist. It may feel wrong or like a shortcut. There’s a lot of pressure to try to match people move for move, as if sticking with what works for you is somehow cheating. 
• Be physically loose and mentally tight – Strong in the mind, doing what needs to be done without excessive displays of emotion. Like we’re immune to external stressors and limitations on the march toward our goals. Loose in the body; let your actions speak for itself.

To whatever we face, all we need to do is three little duties— to try hard, to be honest, and to help others and ourselves.

Will

Is about sticking it out when the going gets tough. Skills to cultivate: -

• Love everything that happens (‘Amor Fati’) – Beyond acceptance. Be truly glad that it happened.
• Perseverance – Staying power. Having the endurance to stick it out
• Mentally Prepared to start again and again and again

Never rattled. Never frantic. Always hustling and acting with creativity. Never anything but deliberate.

Conclusion

Perception puts us in the right frame of mind to act. Action prevents us from staying stuck. Our will gives us the soul power to keep acting and shapes our perception.

My key takeaways

1. The struggle against an obstacle inevitably propels the fighter to a new level of functioning. The extent of the struggle determines the extent of the growth. The obstacle is an advantage, not adversity. The enemy is any perception that prevents us from seeing this
2. Sometimes the longest way around is the shortest way home
3. The best way out is always through
4. There are far more failures in the world due to a collapse of will than there will ever be from objectively conclusive external events
5. Great times are great softeners. Abundance is its own obstacle.