the Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday

The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday, is the first book I’ve read in 2022, and it is now firmly in my top books.

Farming is hard, business is hard, but even with all the setbacks we’ve faced in the last few months, I really wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. And this book was great reminder of the fact that when you aim high, you automatically expose yourself to more pressure, but you can always choose to see it in a positive light.

MOOD: 
You aim high and need to execute to get where you want to go, no matter what might happen (and actually, not just « in spite of » but « because of »).

GENRE:
Non-fiction ; motivational ; philosophy and Stoicism

READ IF YOU LOVED: 
The Magic of Big Thinking, David J. Schwartz
Atomic Habits, James Clear
The Practice, Seth Godin 

FAVORITE QUOTES :
He quotes Viktor Frankl (psychologist and concentration camp survivor) :“Man does not simple exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.”
“Remember: We choose how we'll look at things. We retain the ability to inject perspective into a situation. We can't change the obstacles themselves — that part of the equation is set — but the power of perspective can change how the obstacles appear. How we approach, view, and contextualize an obstacle, and what we tell ourselves it means, determines how daunting and trying it will be to overcome.”
“If we're to overcome our obstacles, this is the message to broadcast — internally and externally. We will not be stopped by failure, we will not be rushed or distracted by external noise. We will chisel and peg away at the obstacle until it is gone. Resistance is futile.”
“Start thinking like a radical pragmatist: still ambitious, aggressive, and rooted in ideals, but also imminently practical and guided by the possible. [...] Don't think small, but make the distinction between the critical and the extra.”