The Obstacle is the Way. by Ryan Holiday

Introduction

  Ryan wrote this book as a practical book, instead of just sharing the philosophy, he breaks it down, giving examples of people in history who are known for overcoming and using obstacles to their advantage. He emphasizes that this is not a book on the history of stoicism but rather a guide on how to use this philosophy, a guide to turning problems into solutions, misfortunes into blessings. Not about positive thinking but about acknowledging any situation for what it is and creatively turning problems upside down so that any setback you come across becomes and advantage.
  Ryan uses historical examples throughout the book from people who are known for studying and practicing the philosophy of stoicism and some people who had that philosophy inherent in their spirit.

Part 1-Perception

  Consciously or unconsciously, we choose how we perceive things. We give meaning to what we perceive. We can perceive things as good or bad, fortunate or unfortunate and our actions are based on our perception. We can choose to see "problems" in our life as in impervious obstacles that block our path or we can scrutinize the obstacle and look for a way to transform it into something good, not just affirming "this is good" but rather questioning "how can I use this to my advantage?" Looking at things for what they really are and seeing the potential in every situation.
  As Ryan says, it is a simple process, but not easy. Turning obstacles into advantage requires a lot of mental agility, observation skills and humbleness to be able to accept things as they are and working our way through them, the easy thing to do is to complain and blame whatever is outside of our circle of influence, the weather, society, our boss, this approach leads to conformity and powerlessness.   Stoicism is a philosophy of empowerment, by focusing on the what we can control instead of what we can't, we are able to approach any obstacle and transform it into a triumph.
  When faced with a problem we should:

-Be objective. See reality unbiased.

-Control emotions and keep an even keel. Practice serenity and keep doing what we ought to do.

-Choose to look for the good in the situation. Focus on what we can gain from it.

-Steady nerves. Remember that whatever happens, we'll probably be alright in the end.

-Ignore what disturbs or limits others. We set our own limitations like others set their own limitations.

-Place things in perspective. A simple change in perspective can transform the whole situation.

-Revert to the present moment. What we do now is what matters now.

-Focus on what can be controlled. Why waste energy thinking about what is not up to us?

By applying these principles we can clearly see the situation for what it is and act so that we get the best out of it.
  Our perception is part of what we have ultimate control over, we can choose how we perceive things, even if something feels like a disaster it's only ourselves telling ourselves it is a disaster. Shakespeare puts it this way "Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

Part 2- Action

  After we perceive the situation for what it is we must act in accordance to our goal. Creating a plan of action so that we access the situation with our best efforts. Again, this is not easy, sometimes we have to take risks, embracing the risk, knowing that even if we fail we still learn a valuable lesson that we wouldn't get otherwise.
  When we procrastinate our problems get bigger and pile up, we get overwhelmed and give up, instead of calculating the risk and taking action we start to react mindlessly to the situation, then it becomes a real problem. An intrinsic problem. We become the problem. Acting is usually better than not acting, standing still when everything is moving forward means you are being left behind, this doesn't mean we should to jump into our problems head first but defining a strategy designed for the specific problem, focusing our energies on what really is effective.
  As humans we are not perfect and we make mistakes, oftentimes the strategies we deploy are not the best, we are flawed in our perceptions, we can't access to all information about the situation and only with experience we can get more knowledge of how to surpass the obstacle. This means we have to try and fail so that we can gather some more information. Persistence the is key to success, like Thomas Edison said “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” Never-mind the perfect pitch, what matter is that all we do takes us closer to our goal, even if its just an inch.
  We must focus our efforts on what you have to do right now and do it the best we can, forget about the big picture and take one step at the time, knowing what we have to do step by step transforms what seemed like a single enormous task into smaller fragments that are easier to manage one by one. Orderly choosing the sequence of action so that we don't get overwhelmed by what seems like an impossible task. 
 Sometimes acting is more about taking a stand then actually moving, standing your ground until the problem breaks upon you, the most known examples of this approach in this book are Ghandi and Martin Luther king Jr. who approached and won their battles with passive resistance by making their enemies defeat themselves. Showing their weakness and fragility against such powerful entities and ideas like the British rulers for Ghandi and for Martin Luther King Jr. the prejudice against black people.

  Some other times all you need to do is to ignore the problem, still it must be a deliberate calculated action of ignoring the problem, because it is the best approach and not just ignoring so that you feel ephemerally good about the situation. Sometimes ignorance will make the problem smaller until it disappears completely.

  The right action is always relative to the situation, there is no one solution that fits everything and everyone. It takes discernment and scrutiny to decide the best course of action to take.

Part 3-Will

  Our perceptions may be flawed and our actions blocked but our will is the constant core we possess. We may be deceived and imprisoned but no one except ourselves can touch our will for it is deeply inside of us, its is our will that give us the strength to bear the unbearable.
Our willingness to sacrifice is what keeps us moving towards our goals during harsh times, a strong will is capable of achieving the impossible
   No one is born with a strong will power, it must be trained. Resilience is not granted but it is earned. Trough the practice of hardships, we become more confident of ourselves and determined as an individual. We grow our will power. To do that we need to probe for our weaknesses and put them to the test. Our wills strength is determined by our belief, if we believe it can be done then it can be done, only when we give up it becomes impossible.
  We can also prepare our will for hardships by meditating on them, acknowledge that there is always unforeseen events that can undermine our plans, "hope for the best, prepare for the worst." With a mindset like this we will never be caught off guard. By expecting the unexpected we will be prepared for whatever comes our way and won't be demotivated. It's always better to be pleased than disappointed.

  The people who overcame the biggest obstacles in history, those who changed the course of history, did it by harnessing a power outside of themselves.They harnessed the power of compassion towards others. They transcended themselves, forgot their ego in exchange for a bigger purpose. They were actually willing to die for their purpose. This is virtue in its purest form, this is what truly means to be a human being, not a god but for sure more than just an animal who is concerned with only its own interests. These people seemed to be enlightened, indeed they were. They became conscious that their personal desires are meaningless in comparison the needs of the human race or even the needs of the world.
  This awareness gives meaning to our sacrifices. It is no longer about ourselves as individuals but it becomes about ourselves as a whole.

Conclusion

  We must understand that life is a never ending course of obstacles, as soon as we overcome one another will appear, most of the times bigger and scarier than the last, we can only improve ourselves with them and this is what makes life interesting, the opportunity to become better as a human being. To use reason to overcome our difficulties, specially today that our difficulties are more about ethics and character than actual survival.  The chance to raise the stakes of what it means to be human.

  Remember this triad whenever you are faced with a problem.

Perception - See things for what they really are.
Action - Do whatever you can, the best you can.
Will - Endure and bear whatever comes your way.


Disclaimer: This article is based on my personal insights while reading the book and it is not the same as reading the actual book.