I recently read the book – The Obstacle Becomes The Way by Ryan Holiday. I highly recommend it to everyone. It was recommended to me by a mentor as I asked him how he was always able to reach and often exceed goals, even when things seem to be stacked against him. Believe me, it’s almost like magic how this person always achieved their goals. At the time I was faced with what I saw as an almost impossible target to hit at work. He replied with- “I’m not sure how else to say this but- winners win, they always find a way”. Then he proceeded to recommend this book.

It may be a familiar concept if you have studied Stoicism. The essence of the book, as I understand it, is that we can turn adversity and challenges into our success. Our perception of a situation or challenge (the obstacle) can affect how we approach it and also determine the outcome regardless of how “difficult” it might be. As we recognize the obstacle we can analyze it and ourselves. Then we can find weaknesses in it or even realize that we cannot change it and look for alternative solutions. Instead of beating our heads against a wall trying to do something we really can’t.

We all face several challenges with work, family, etc (I know I do, for sure). How am I going to overcome a specific challenge?- whether that is finding more and bigger deals to close at work? How am I going to be a better human? How can I be a better father and husband? Being able to recognize the obstacles (which we are all usually good at) can help us overcome them. Does that sound weird? Yes, it does to me as well. But as we acknowledge the challenges ahead, we can create plans of action and identify weaknesses to tackle and overcome those challenges. The key is being able to create the plans and then taking action. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway for me is learning and fostering the ability to accept the things we can’t change (being able to really identify these things), and instead focus on changing the things we do have control over. 

I know I’m not doing the book justice. I often remember it when I face a particularly hard challenge and I try to re-read it. Please read it and let me know your thoughts.