Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Obstacles Of Life Can

Obstacles Of Life Can

The obstacles of life can get you down.

But do not let them.

Because – and I don’t even really know if it’s “fortunately” or “unfortunately” – you have very little choice in it all.

1. You can give up.

This is a known outcome. You give up and the obstacle, the adversity, wins. Game over. Maybe life takes youin a different direction?

2. Or, you can keep fighting.

This is an unknown outcome. The future is still unwritten, there is still hope, and you have the increasing possibility of coming out on top.

I, for one, will keep advancing. If only one tiny step at a time.

Get up off the mat and come with me. Won’t you?

Whatever we face, we have a choice: Will we be blocked by obstacles, or will we advance through and over them?

-Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way

What Stands In The Way Becomes The Way

What Stands In The Way Becomes The Way

This passage: “What stands in the way becomes the way” is the thesis of Holiday’s entire book below.

It comes from a passage he discovered by, Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius.

Aurelius wrote it in his diary and his writing is still available today, under the title Meditations.

The idea is simple and found in the cliche that:

Your greatest weakness is also your greatest strength.

And vice-versa.

Examples?

A fortified and protected castle can also be a prison when surrounded.

Growing up in an impoverished background might be an obstacle to overcome. But it might give you a perspective and a drive that someone with a trust-fund could never compete with.

And a blogger drowned out by too much content may find an answer in producing still more content than their competitors.

Do you see it?

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

-Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way (Amazon)

Sterling Terrell