Ryan Holiday has written The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage (2014, Profile Books) and claims in the introduction that it will teach the reader 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.” And surprisingly, it actually delivers on this promise.
Holiday takes a three-pronged approach in the book, dividing the content into sections on perception, action and will. Essentially the main argument is that obstacles should not only be expected, but should be embraced. Initially I was very skeptical of this, but as I read the book, I came on board, mainly due to Holiday’s honesty in that sometimes failure is an option.
Coming from a strategy and ideas background, and having witnessed some spectacular business collapses up close and personal, Holiday is well placed to write on this subject. What adds greatly to the book is how much Holiday draws on stories to illustrate his points. He is extremely well read, and offers book lists to accompany his work.
The book is really well organised and very easy to read. It took me just over a day to get through it. It would make a long plane ride go very quickly. I recommend this book to anyone, as it has applications right across life. I read it initially from a leadership perspective, but it soon expanded my perspectives.