The Obstacle is the Way
Mareike Müller
TechStartup People & Culture Advisor and Mentor | Leadership & Self-Leadership Coach | Remote Work Expert (16+ years) | Helping companies to grow and succeed WITH their people - not at their cost.
A well-read woman is a dangerous creature – that′s what they say! I guess, this applies to every person that spends time with books; actually reading them. No matter if you increase your dangerousness by using a paper version, an audiobook or if you prefer your Kindle, it all counts to convert you in an untamable beast of knowledge and wisdom.
I know, we are all swamped with work and taking time to read is very difficult sometimes because the day just has 24 hours. I can totally count myself in, having easily a dozen books sitting on my shelf which I haven′t even touched yet. But I just can′t resist. Once I found an interesting book, I have to buy it, because I want to read it and absorb every little information that it offers. Especially when I found a new topic that I want to explore a bit more, I go bananas buying books. It′s incredible, there are so many great books out there and I have no idea how to read them all and still keeping up with my busy life. But from time to time, I squeeze in an hour or so to get more dangerous.
Having said that, there is a book I really enjoyed reading: The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. To give you the idea of the book in a nutshell: It′s about getting conscious and changing the way of seeing problems aka. obstacles. The idea is not new, which the author shows us on many occasions by using examples from history. But even though, the idea of seeing an obstacle as something positive is a little strange at first.
While reading this book, your mind slowly gets used to this new point of view and by finishing it you scream out loud: Give me more problems so I can defeat them!!! I know, this reaction is a little extreme, but I really enjoyed reading this book, even though its tone is a little rough from time to time. Anyways, I have to say I actually changed my point of view, when it comes to problems. I still don′t like them and would prefer everything running smoothly, but I can accept the challenge now knowing that I will not only solve the issue but grow stronger and smarter from it. So if you feel ready for a change of your point of view, this book will undoubtedly provide one.