THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY by Ryan Holiday

   I call this book special because its way of instructing is a bit different from the conventional books
This book was written by Ryan Holiday as earlier said
Let's delve in
I'll start my class with an old Zen story, there was a king whose people had grown soft and felt entitled, he decide to shake them a little and teach them a lesson, so he took a big stone and placed it at the middle of the road and hid himself in a road side bush.

He observed people’s disposition when they got to where the stone was. A lot of then got there and cursed the king and turned back, some other  people got there and tried to push it but they couldn't so they too turned back. For the whole day a similar occurrence happened with all turning back.

The following day the king went there to keep watch again and this time he saw a lone peasant walk by who looked at the stone in the middle of the road for a while, then he tried a whole lot to move it but his strength failed him. He took some minutes to observe the stone again from a distance and decided to enter the road side bush only for him to bring a large log of wood. He put a stone under it and created a makeshift lever. He put it beside the huge stone and flipped it over and voila! There was a bag of gold underneath the rock and a note that reads
“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”
Please read carefully, few minutes to do that. Does anything look familiar there?
So we're moving on.
Through history we've noticed some people who faced odious circumstances and obstacles in their path but still went on to overcome them, they didn't only overcome them but improved and became better as a result of the obstacle they went through. They would tell you that had they not faced what they faced they wouldn't have been as great and accomplish as much as they have. From John D Rockefeller to the likes of Marcus Aurelius, Margrethe Thatcher, Barack Obama, Dwight Eisenhower, and others.
All these people and a whole lot more, went through series of obstacles to arrive at their destinations.
Many of us are like the multitudes who encounter a problem, do some cursing, a little effort here and there and eventually we give up just too soon. We react to obstacles emotionally and loose the power to see the obstacle for what it is and designing a way out creatively and purposefully.
Please let's read between the lines, you'll find treasures!

Also let's quickly familiarize ourselves with what an obstacle basically is.
Definition according to the author, paraphrasing though; Obstacles are problems or circumstances that causes discomfort to us and our plans one way or the other.
The main purpose of this book is this;
Ryan Holiday basically teaches us how to overcome failure on our path to leading a successful life.
There are so many books on being successful but very few teach us how to overcome the failures we encounter on our path. That's basically what this book is for.

Moving ahead, the way through the obstacles:
"Our actions may be impeded but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting."
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."
"Objective judgment, now at this very moment. Unselfish action, now at this very moment. Willing acceptance—now at this very moment—of all external events. That’s all you need"

The three quotes above were written by one of the most powerful Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius.
He was the most powerful man on earth when he wrote those quotes. They were not just quotes but a message from his personal experience. He experienced a tremendous amount of obstacles and difficulties in his life but everyone who at that time knew him came to a conclusion that he proved himself worthy.

The Author showed us that through the quote of Marcus Aurelius which is a universal philosophy and fully represents stoicism, three important factors are responsible for helping us navigate through the obstacles ( Mental obstacles. Physical obstacles. Emotional obstacles. Perceived obstacles) life constantly throws at us.

The three actors are interdependent, interconnected, and fluidly contingent disciplines: Perception, Action, and the Will.

Perception
Action
Will

These three steps can further be explained as, it begins with how we look (perception) at our specific problems, our attitude or approach; then the energy and creativity (action) with which we actively break them down and turn them into opportunities; finally, the cultivation and maintenance of an inner will that allows us to handle defeat and difficulty.
We'll elaborate on the three of them, they are the focal point of the book

Perception
Perception is how well we see and understand the things that happen around us and what those events would mean to us. Our perception can most times be skewed by emotions which gives a negative effect. When we remove sentiments and emotion from our perception what we're are left with is the true face of the obstacle in front of us.

This correct vision helps us to be calm when others are seeing through their emotions and helps in channelling our path to making the right decisions.

You will come across obstacles in life—fair and unfair. And you will discover, time and time again, that what matters most is not what these obstacles are but how we see them, how we react to them, and whether we keep our composure.

By talking about perception of obstacles he emphasized that he wasn't disproving that the obstacles aren't right in front of us but that we should see them as simply what they are, neither good nor bad, what makes them any of this is the action we take towards what we perceive from the obstacle.
There are a few things to keep in mind when faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. We must try:

- To be objective
- To control emotions and keep an even keel
- To choose to see the good in a situation
- To steady our nerves
- To ignore what disturbs or limits others
- To place things in perspective
- To revert to the present moment
- To focus on what can be controlled

John D Rockefeller was one person who practiced effective perception of obstacles, no surprise he grew to be the most richest man in modern history. He got his footings at the time when there was great pandemonium all over the world as a result of the Great Depression but however he kept his cool and endured the right perception.
“Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant."—VIKTOR FRANKL
“Don’t let the force of an impression when it first hit you knock you off your feet; just say to it: Hold on a moment; let me see who you are and what you represent. Let me put you to the test."—EPICTETUS
"In life our first job is this, to divide and distinguish things into two categories: externals I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them I do control. Where will I find good and bad? In me, in my choices."—EPICTETUS
These quotes resonates the messages of perception
Moving on, we'll go to Action.

Action
Action requires courage, not brashness—creative application and not brute force. After seeing the obstacle for what it is, there must be effective and carefully crafted actions taken. We know the obstacle won't get itself out of the way because it's in a state of inertia, so we have to take bold steps to simply move it out of the way.

Our movements and decisions define us: We must be sure to act with deliberation, boldness, and persistence.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Take Thomas Edison, for example. When he was 67 years old, his entire laboratory burned down, including all of his experiments, prototypes, notes and research. Facing the facts, he decided to start over, instead of mourning over a million dollar loss he could do nothing about. Once he’d “gotten rid of a lot of old rubbish”, as he called it, he could start fresh and ended up making $10 million in profit by the end of the next year.
He took immediate action, he didn't waste time mopping over the loss that had come upon him.
No one is coming to save you.
And if we’d like to go where we claim we want to go—to accomplish what we claim are our goals—there is only one way. And that’s to meet our problems with the right action. Therefore, we can always (and only) greet our obstacles;

with energy
with persistence
with a coherent and deliberate process
with iteration and resilience
with pragmatism
with strategic vision
with craftiness and savvy and an eye for opportunity and pivotal moments.

Don't waste ample time sitting around and nursing your wound or what ever obstacle is in front of you, the only way to get out of that mess is to take action
“We must all either wear out or rust out, every one of us. My choice is to wear out."—THEODORE ROOSEVELT
"He says the best way out is always through. And I agree to that, or in so far. As I can see no way out but through."—ROBERT FROST
You have to go through the obstacle!
What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first steps to something better.—WENDELL PHILLIPS

The last of them all is, Will.
So I actually said I was not going to review that part...so as to motivate us get the book!
Obstacles are there to make us better, we just have to know how to flip  them over for our benefits.
Thank you for reading sure to drop your Afterthoughts or questions

Reviewed by  Oluwatomisin Alli