The Obstacle Is the Way

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph is the third book by author Ryan Holiday. It was published in 2014. It is a book which offers individuals a framework to flip obstacles into opportunities, an approach crafted by Holiday. It was inspired by the philosophy of stoicism.
The title of the book is drawn from a quote from Meditations, a series of personal writings by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Holiday draws from Meditations, Aurelius, and the philosophy of Stoicism to expand the central theme of the book, which is that how we respond to obstacles is what defines us. Holiday argues that if an individual learns the framework to flip obstacles into success (as many individuals with different types of successes have done), he or she can actually be better for it.
In The Obstacle Is The Way, the framework that Holiday offers is composed of three disciplines: perception, action and will. As he explains this framework, Holiday supplements each section with historical anecdotes and figures from politics, commerce, sports, and history including Theodore Roosevelt, Demosthenes, John D Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ulysses S. Grant, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, among others.
Author Holiday explains the purpose for which he wrote the book, writing "If all this book does is make facing and dismantling such stumbling blocks a little easier, it will be enough. But my aim is higher. I want to show you the way to turn every obstacle into an advantage. So this will be a book about ruthless pragmatism and stories from history that illustrate the arts of relentless persistence and indefatigable ingenuity. It teaches you how to get unstuck and unleashed. How to turn the many negative situations we encounter in our lives into positive ones – or at least to snatch whatever benefit we can from them. …"
In the preface of The Obstacle is the Way, Holiday begins by setting up the scene in the year of 170 in Germania, as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote down the formula for getting through rough situations. As he sets up the scene, Holiday emphasizes that Aurelius' formula was not a "formula for thriving not just in spite of whatever happens but because of it."
In the preface, Holiday discusses how this book studies how countless individuals took their struggles, flipped them around and eventually used it as a chance to enhance a virtue or skillset. He leaves the preface with a call to action to the reader, asking the reader to join the band of individuals that have challenged themselves to better themselves through the obstacles they've faced. He informs the readers that they can find the mechanism by which to do this within the book.
In this section, Holiday explains how when individuals set out to make a difference or set goals for themselves, the risk of being met by unexpected challenges is always there. Holiday emphasizes two major skills to have during these challenging times: grace and poise. Holiday explains that when stress comes, it triggers the human, primal, senseless reactions. Grace and poise allow individuals to keep a cool head and then encourage the individual to "deploy other skills" which can help solve the problem. He offers the reader a tip, encouraging the reader to "steady their nerves."
The book has sold over 100,000 copies since its release and been translated into 17 languages. After the book's release, the book slowly made its way through the community of professional sports, and are being read by a number of prominent athletes and head coaches including Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs, Marquette basketball coach Shaka Smart, tennis pro James McGee, NFL lineman Garrett Gilkey, Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, and others. On the way to their 2014 Super Bowl victory, Michael Lombardi and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots distributed copies of The Obstacle Is the Way to their staff and players. In the 2015 season, Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider and Pete Carroll passed the book around the team's locker room.