The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

by Ryan Holiday

What they meant when they said that the obstacle is the way is that the hardest, most heartbreaking moments of life can be transformed by endurance, by selflessness, by courage, by kindness, by decency.

The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

This thing in front of you. This issue. This obstacle—this frustrating, unfortunate, unexpected problem preventing you from doing what you want to do. That thing you dread or secretly hope will never happen. What if it wasn’t so bad? What if embedded inside it or inherent in it were certain benefits—benefits only for you? What would you do? What do you think most people would do? Probably what they’ve always done, and what you are doing right now: nothing.