“Your potential, the absolute best you’re capable of—that’s the metric to measure yourself against. Your standards are. Winning is not enough. People can get lucky and win. People can be assholes and win. Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves.”
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A mid-week book stack featuring Ryan Holiday and my current collection of his books, not including The Daily Stoic which is quarantined away in my work office and Growth Hacker Marketing which I forgot to include!
What is your favorite Ryan Holiday book?
At this point, I'd say that The Obstacle is the Way was my personal favorite probably because it resonated with me at the right point in time. Although his ideas aren't new, he does a good job of ring-fencing many different sources to provide a modern take. His writing style is unique and he also has some great interviews out there that are worth checking out. As noted in the comments last week, Ryan was deeply influenced by Robert Greene and his interviews with Robert around The Laws of Human Nature were excellent.
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The recognition of the obstacle as the path we must take is a big one and can ultimately lead us to a life worth living as long as we make that choice. As Ryan notes:
"We decide what we will make of each and every situation. We decide whether we'll break or whether we'll resist. We decide whether we'll assent or reject. No one can force us to give up or to believe something that is untrue. ... Our perceptions are the things that we're in complete control of."
Interesting to read through MJ DeMarco's book The Millionaire Fastlane and see these words echoed as one of the key mindsets behind generating wealth. MJ notes:
"Wherever you are: reading on the train, on a plan, on the toilet in a run-down apartment, or on a beach in the Caribbean, you've chosen. ...Yes, you are exactly where you decide to be."
We are always forced to make decisions. I choose to take a photo, edit it, post it on Instagram. I also choose whether I will make the extra effort to write up a blog post and post it here. All small choices that make up a process of growing or shrinking. As you can see, I've been making those very choices to share my message and hopefully help others find the next book to inspire them.
How do you find your own balance in terms of making choices? What methods do you have for identifying the important choices that you make day in and day out? As MJ would note in the context of money, this is the process or system you have chosen. Hit me up in the comments if you have any other good recommendations on similar books with these ideas. I'm looking to find new ways to cement my own choices to help grow the blog and beyond.
On the desk:
Pen: Lamy Studio XL Special Edition 2019 All Black (extra fine nib) (The studio pens are excellent pieces with the all-black being one I was particularly drawn too. You can find an alternative studio version here.)
Journal: Moleskine Limited Edition Ruled Notebook (Blend Edition). Unfortunately, this one is no longer in production but you check out a current edition here.