The obstacle is the way
This is the title of a book written by Ryan Holiday which touches upon the benefits of a stoic mindset. We’re believers in the power and utility of stoicism—which focuses on which aspects of life you can influence and which you can’t. Ryan Holiday takes this mindset and elaborates on how the obstacles in your life are not hindrances on your path but are the path itself—and emphasizes the role of the individual. If you focus on building upon your capabilities, you’ll have an easier time traversing your path, and you’ll also have a bigger impact on your surroundings.
We think that this message is an important one—especially in the times we live in. More and more people seem to lose faith in authorities and their future. Depression, obesity, and anxiety are more prevalent than ever, even though this is the best time to live in history. If you could choose any time in history to be born into, but didn’t know what gender, societal class, or country you would be born into—then you would choose the present day. We, humans, have never flourished more than right now—if you look at statistics like murder rate, life expectancy, child mortality, literacy, etc.—this is the best time to be alive—but still many people feel powerless, frightened, and anxious.
This is where most articles go into the roles of politics, media, and other macro tendencies that are hard for normal people to influence. But this is no normal article—and we’ll instead, in the spirit of the stoic coffee talkers, look at the stuff you can do something about.
A shift in mindset
If you look at the obstacles of your current circumstances as a path to virtue instead of an inconvenience—which is holding you back and preventing you from achieving your dreams and aspirations—then you can start to pave a way forward. Remember this is the best time to be alive, and you probably have more options than most of your ancestors. Don’t get us wrong—life is hard, and it will beat you down and keep you there permanently if you let it—to quote the great Rocky Balboa.
This is not about ignoring the hardships of life, but instead a call to action. This reframing of the hardships of life is an opportunity to carve a way forward. As always, we’ll give you a couple of pointers to get you going.
Find inspiration and direction in somebody or something that you find inspiring and worthwhile.
Set the bar low and build momentum
Treat yourself like somebody you care for—set goals and structure, but remember that the journey is your life, not the destination.
We hope this will help you a bit in these challenging times
Until next time
Scott and Lennart