I was reading a children’s book to my son several weeks ago – What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada. I saw parallels in this book to the central ideas in another book I read several months ago – The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday. These books both highlight one premise of stoicism – adversity as a breeding ground for growth and improvement. The quote from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations that highlight this idea is as follows: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Challenges in life can be disruptive and disheartening. I often which life’s challenges or “problems” would go away. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was smooth sailing? It seems like a great day when things always go your way. But by looking at problems via the stoicism lens, I see now that problems and “hiccups” in life give me an opportunity. An opportunity to sharpen my skills. A chance to see how far I can go. Without adversity and problems in life, the world would be a boring, unchanging place. With problems, we are given the opportunity to make ourselves and the world better. It is great when I come through an obstacle successfully, and therefore feel myself becoming a stronger, more resilient person.
Of course, things do not always turn out positively. Sometimes (a lot of the time!) outcomes result in loss or failure. But again, this can help me gain self awareness about my strengths and my weaknesses. It makes me honestly assess myself, seeing via examples what I am able to do, and what I cannot do. I can then focus my efforts on growth and improvement.
Again, if you have a moment, I would recommend The Obstacle Is the Way, a great book to read or listen to. And if you have a little one, I’d highly recommend What Do You Do With A Problem? I think these books help reinforce the concept that problems, despite their initial negative appearances and the negative emotions they conjure up, are not always bad. Depending on how you look at obstacles or adversities in life, they can be seen as catalysts for growth and the starting line for good.