The Obstacle is the Way: Audio book notes
I recently bought this book off audible and gave it a listen and it is one of the most profound works I've ever encountered. Right now I have a day job that allows me to sometimes listen to headphones while working, so listened the book over the course of several days and took notes. I've copied them from my handwritten notes to share with you all.
Basically the book is about Stoicism, and how to apply it in everyday life. While there may be others here who can provide a more provide a more complete explanation of Stoic thought, I will attempt to briefly do so here.
Stoicism is a philosophy from ancient Greece defined by non-attachment to that which is outside one's control. A process of calm, rational thought and accepting what is rather than burning one's emotional energy over what one does not control.
What differentiates Stoicism from many other schools of philosophy is that is not abstract fluff best suited for pretentious conversations in a coffee house. It is simple, practical and readily applicable to actual problems you face today as it was 2,300 years ago.
The audiobook provides a road map to do just that.
The book is narrated by Ryan Holiday himself and follows Robert Greene's example of using modern and historical figures to illustrate the ideas being expressed.
In a world where many of here stress over starting businesses, dysfunctional governments and laws, the realities of game in 2015, cultural Marxism, etc...Stoicism provides, for me at least, an mental and spiritual anchor that helps me make sense of the world and how to best live out a fulfilling life within it.
Here I my notes. I hope you get some value from them.
Introduction
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
-
Turn a problem into an advantage. Use it as fuel to propel you forward.
If you have a goal, the obstacles you encounter on the way toward its' attainment are
teaching you how to get where you want to go. With every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and improve your condition.
Rather than letting it break you, use adversity as a canvas to paint your masterwork upon.
Abundance can be its' own obstacle. Have you ever known a rich person (a trust fund kid, perhaps) who has failed to achieve much? His wealth holds him back, softens his mind and ambition.
Stoicism is built upon 3 Disciplines: 1) Perception 2) Action 3) The Will
Part 1: Perception
Limit your passions, and the control those passion have over your life.
See things as they ARE- neither good nor bad. Divorce your emotions and ego from the situation and you will see events for what the truly are, and free of any "meaning" or value judgement assigned to them by emotion. Then you can exercise judgement and take action with clear thinking.
Be bigger than the situation, no matter what's going on.
Unflappable coolness under pressure is what allowed great men of industry to prosper while others panicked - examples: John D. Rockefeller, Warren Buffet
What matters is not what the obstacles are, but how you see and react to them.
See opportunity in every disaster, transform it into an education, a skill set, or fortune.
Choose not to be harmed, and you won't feel harmed. If you don't feel harmed, then you haven't been. You decide how something will affect you, no one else has that right.
Through our perception of events, we are complicit in both the creation and the destruction of obstacles.
Nothing is ever good or bad; there is only The Event itself, and The Story we tell ourselves about what that means.
The power of perception is impossible to obstruct,
it can only be relinquished.
The Gift of Fear - When you worry about something, ask yourself the following questions:
"What am I choosing not to see right now? What did I miss because I chose fear over introspection, alertness or wisdom?"
"Does getting upset right now provide me with more options?" (maybe it can sometimes, but be sure about that)
Remember YOU are in control, not any emotions which may pass through you.
If nothing else, remind yourself: "I'm not going to die from this..."
Observing vs Perceiving. Perceiving is subjective. Observing is seeing the same thing and removing "you" from the equation (objective)
The more skilled you are at seeing things as they truly are, the more perception will work FOR you instead of against you.
Take your situation and pretend it is happening to someone else instead of you. How much easier it would be for you to give advice, to deal with it dispassionately.
PREPARE TO ACT, and remember; the event itself no matter how bad, is never as bad as the event + losing your head over it.
Part 2 - Action
It does not matter what happens to you or where you come from, but what you do with this.
The life story of
Demosthenes is used to illustrate this concept.
No one is coming to save you. You must meet your problems with proper action. GET TO WORK.
Get moving, get momentum, seize an opportunity, complete a task that while get the wheels moving in the right direction.
There is no "right moment". Get started right where you are!
Always ask; "Could I be doing more?"
Persist and Resist. Again, look for the opportunities in the problem in your path.
Look for angles, not angels.
When you encounter failure, listen to it.
Failure is the world trying to tell you something.
Follow the process, not the prize. Break up big tasks into smaller ones. This is HOW to subjugate and defeat "Resistance" as defined in The War of Art. Do your work and trust in what you're doing.
Do your work, and do it right. Everything matters. How you do one thing is how you do everything.
Use Obstacles against themselves
examples: Ghandi vs the British Empire, Saul Alinksy, Brazilian jiujitsu,
“The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.”
Arthur Ashe.
Seize the Offensive
-Take the chance, seize it, conquer it, make chance the servant.
Example: Obama in 2008 campaign with Rev.Wright scandal. Crises contain opportunities that may not have been open before.
Transcend the challenge & reframe it. The obstacle is turned upside down, used as a catapult toward success
Prepare for none if it to work
Do not give into adversity, and do not trust in prosperity.
Nothing can ever prevent one from trying. Problems are a chance for us to do our best- that's it. Just our best, not the impossible.
Try to get things done with everything you've got. Accept whatever comes, then move onto the next thing.
Part 3 - Will
Will is an INTERNAL power which can never be effected by the outside world. It is the one thing we completely, totally control, always.
Build an inner citadel (example: Abraham Lincoln.
Will has more to do with surrender than strength. Accepting that which you do not control. (serenity prayer)
Do you best, then the rest is up to fate. As an experiment, try "God Willing" vs "willing it into existence"
Premeditation of Evil: Think about what could go wrong, that way you will not be blindsided if it does.
Acquiescence- The Fates guide the person who accepts them, and hinder those who resist them
Be accepting of both strengths and limitations.
If someone took traffic signals (red lights, "Don't Walk") personally, you'd think them insane, and yet that is what we do with life's signals all the time.
The Art of Acquiescence: This is NOT about giving up or not taking action. This is reserved for the things totally outside our control, that action is immune to.
Be humble and flexible. The ancients (and not so ancients) used words like "fate" and "God Willing" much more than we do today. Nature, in order to be commanded, must be obeyed.
Technology has led to arrogance. This idea we can control everything that happens is a new hubris unique to the modern era
Amor Fati- Loving whatever happens, and facing it with unwavering cheerfulness.
example: Thomas Edison when his lab burned down
What we "must do" becomes what we "get to do".
There can be value in thinking "if it happened I was meant to make the best of it."
We don't always get to choose what happens to us, but we get to chose how we feel about it. And you can choose to love it because it is fuel for perseverance.
Persistence is an ACTION. Perseverance is a matter of WILL.
Endurance- no one is to blame except you when you throw in the towel.
Remember you are not that important, and to take time to focus on something bigger than one's self. Focus on helping others rather than feeling sorry for yourself.
In all situations, never lower yourself to becoming a person you don't like.
Meditate on your Mortality- Death is coming.
What is in our control is worth every ounce of effort. Death is not one of those things, so accept it.
No matter how much you've done, Prepare to start again
Elysium is a myth; the more you accomplish, the more obstacles will stand in your way. When the universe realizes you can handle it, it throws more at you. Be glad of this, it is a chance to become even better. There is no final level; you cannot out-evolve your own lifespan.
***
I highly recommend this book, it is probably the most accessible introduction to Stoicism out there. I hope you found some value here.
Cheers
