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Welcome To The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

The day has come. The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph is now out. I’ve written a ton of pieces about the book, I produced content and images to support the book and of course, there is already all sorts of press about the book. I want to use this post (which will be updated for the next couple weeks) as an archive of all of that—or as a place to get started if you’re new to me and my work.

Upcoming Events/Appearances:

5/5: Book signing @ Garden District books in New Orleans

5/7: Book signing @ Book People in Austin

5/14: Marking Rockstars Austria

5/18-20: Google Create UK

5/21: The School of Life Workshop London

5/28: Book signing @ Book Soup in West Hollywood

6/6: Vivid Sydney

Articles I’ve Written For The Obstacle Is The Way:

Huffington Post: How Dr. Drew Pinsky Changed My Life

Cracked: 7 People Who Overcame Huge Obstacles To Become Famous

Copyblogger: How I Wrote Three Books In Three Years

FastCompany: 7 Ways To Turn Your Opponents Into Opportunities

Art of Manliness: Finding the Opportunity Inside the Obstacle

Entrepreneur.com: Turning Crisis Into Opportunity: 5 Ways To Deal With Hardship

800-CEO-READ: The 3 Stoic Disciplines: How to Turn Your Obstacles Into Triumphs

Upstart Business Journal: Why Amelia Earhart’s 1925 Gamble Should Inspire Entrepreneurs

Thought Catalog: How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything

Thought Catalog: Should I Drop Out of College?

Medium: Hey Millennials, It’s A Good Thing Things Are Bad

Psychology Today: The Importance of Negative Thinking

RyanHoliday.net: A Lesson From The World’s Worst Week

RyanHoliday.net: A Practical Philosophy Reading List

Beliefnet.com: Nine Ways To Turn Your Obstacles Into An Advantage

Interviews:

Forbes: Ryan Holiday: How Challenges Become Opportunities For Entrepreneurs

800-CEO-READ: Think In Residence: A Q & A with Ryan Holiday

Art of Manliness: The Obstacle Is The Way with Ryan Holiday

BoingBoing.net: American Apparel marketing director Ryan Holiday on Stoicism

Lewis Howes School of Greatness: The Philosophical Guide to Turning Trials Into Triumphs with Ryan Holiday

Big Think: Read Stoicism

Art of Charm: The Obstacle Is The Way

Bitehype.com: A conversation about obstacles and old books with Ryan Holiday

Intrepid Radio: The Obstacle Is The Way

The New Man: Ryan Holiday – The Obstacle Is The Way

Evidence Magazine: The Obstacle is the Way: A Timeless System for Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

The Phat Startup: How To Destroy Any Obstacle – Ryan Holiday Interview

A Closer Look Radio: Turning Trials Into Triumph with Ryan Holiday

Yo Pro Wealth: Create Your Future, Do What You Love – Ryan Holiday

Press About The Book:

Bittorrent: Every Obstacle Is Also An Opportunity

London Evening Standard: How to avoid a work crisis with a ‘pre-mortem’

Huffington Post: 9 Essential Habits Of Mentally Strong People

Huffington Post: 10 Reasons to Love the Obstacles in Your Life

Linked In: Do Bad Odds Help Us Perform Better?

Business Insider: The Simple Strategy Alabama Coach Nick Saban Used To Create A College Football Dynasty

Farnum Street: The Obstacle Is The Way — Turning Adversity Into Advantage

Small Business Trends: “The Obstacle Is The Way” Gives Unusual Advice for Success

Stoicism Today: “The Obstacle Is The Way” by Ryan Holiday

Medium: Resilience — The Obstacle is the Way

Uncollege: Review: “The Obstacle is the Way,” By Ryan Holiday

Slideshares:

20 Quotes To Turn Your Obstacles Into Opportunities from Ryan Holiday

Achieving Apatheia — 7 Steps To Controlling Your Perceptions Like A Stoic from Ryan Holiday

The Obstacle Is The Way: 10 Strategies For Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities from Ryan Holiday

Trailers:

P.S. You might also like The Obstacle Is The Way medallion which is available at DailyStoic.com. There, you can also find a summary of The Obstacle Is The Way as well as key lessons and quotes.

May 1, 2014 by Ryan Holiday

Written by Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I’m Lying, The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. His work has been translated into thirty languages and has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. His company, Brass Check, has advised companies such as Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as Grammy Award winning musicians and some of the biggest authors in the world. He lives in Austin, Texas.

37 Comments

Stefano May 1, 2014 at 9:29 am

Oh s**t! I’ll be in London the 22nd from the north. Can’t believe I’ll miss the workshop.
I wanted to give you as a gift ”Six Memos for the Next Millennium” by Calvino, sure you’d have appreciated Ryan.
- Michael January 29, 2015 at 11:19 am
  
  Hey Ryan, just wanted to say I love your book. My only thoughts on it is you need to remove can from the book. All cans need to be wills. So instead of I can make this good, I will make this good. It will eliminate doubt and make for an even better book.
Dilanka May 1, 2014 at 9:30 am

Sweet. Thanks Ryan.

I assume an Audiobook version is already in the works?

Best,
Dilanka
- Ryan Holiday May 1, 2014 at 11:20 am
  
  Yes, out Tues
Pascal May 1, 2014 at 1:35 pm

been already reading ferociously since getting TOITW… AMAZING content Ryan!!! Thanks a lot!!!
Cheers,
Pascal
Harry Gillen May 2, 2014 at 4:36 pm

Congratulations, Ryan! I’ve been reading your stuff for a long time so I can understand how much this means to you. I haven’t gotten my mitts on the book yet and I’m getting anxious, as I probably won’t get it until Tuesday. I’m poor, broke and overdrawn on my bank account, so I can’t even order it off Amazon. As a longtime fan, just wanted to send my regards and let you know how much I’ve appreciated your work.

-Harry
Jeff Goins May 2, 2014 at 8:50 pm

Congrats, dude! You should be proud.

Also, I don’t see any dates for Nashville? Hope those get added soon. 😉
Paz May 3, 2014 at 6:01 pm

Hey,

Just wanted to stop by and say that your book “Trust me I’m lying” is a mindblowing experience. I ordered TOITW just to support your work on the previous book! Also I’ve seeded your bittorrent bundle = 5 GB uploaded so far! 🙂
- Ryan Holiday May 3, 2014 at 8:34 pm
  
  Thanks man
peter May 6, 2014 at 5:20 am

Interesting, . . . a very Zen-ish sounding title to your book; and I quote:
“a Chinese proverb says, ‘Where there is an impasse there is a way out’; because the impasse itself is the way out; because the complete realization of the impasse destroys its false appearance. There is a solution, but this is not the solution to the ‘problem’; it is the perception that in reality there never was a problem.” [Hubert Benoit, Let Go! London, 1962.]
PDS May 6, 2014 at 12:13 pm

I got the book yesterday and have read 1/4 of it.

Kick-ass. Nice work.
Kamar Thomas May 16, 2014 at 1:11 pm

Pre-ordered it, read it in a day. At the entrance to my studio are the words “Get unstuck, unfucked and unleashed.” On behalf of all artists everywhere,. thank you sir.
- Ryan Holiday May 16, 2014 at 6:17 pm
  
  Nice!
Cynthia January 31, 2015 at 2:33 am

I am a voracious reader and have read many great books in recent years. It is with that caveat I have to tell you that “The Obstacle Becomes the Way” was an incredible read for me. Not because it was new, but because it was me- but better. It validated the approach I have already found but taught me how to do it so, so much better. I was in a difficult situation this past week with a work thing and one it was clear I couldn’t get what I wanted, I was able to separate myself from the emotion of it (a very hard loss for me) and take control of what I could. When we entered that discussion, I was the least powerful person- the lowest ranking and supplicant. When we left, I emerged the strongest leader- even though I hold no power at all. I will continue to practice and refine but the message of your book. I think you wrote it just for me!
Hachilongo sterick March 26, 2015 at 6:24 pm

Mr Ryan ur indeed a genius and I salute you for this powerful insurance policy against failure and thanks a lot coz u have rewarded all readers with a treasure worthy studying all the days of our lives thanks Mr man
Prosper @ Journey to Real Life August 19, 2015 at 1:45 am

I just published a review of your book on our blog. This is one of the books that can change your perception forever.
Colin Dunbar March 11, 2016 at 1:09 am

Hey Ryan
The Obstacle is the Way has become my #1 favorite book. I read the hard copy, and then got the audiobook, and listen to a chapter every day. When I get to the end? I’ll start at chapter 1 again. Many years ago I was introduced to Stoicism by a colleague, and unfortunately over the years I forgot these teachings.
Thanks for writing this book, Ryan.
Colin