Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and a Stoic philosopher. \u00a0On the throne from 161 to 180, he was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n
Marcus acquired the reputation of a philosopher king within his lifetime, and the title would remain after his death. \u00a0Between 170 and 180, he wrote what would become\u00a0Meditations<\/em>, a series of personal writings that recorded private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. \u00a0It is unlikely that Marcus ever intended the writings to be published.\u00a0 However,\u00a0Meditations<\/em>\u00a0is a classic compilation that has been studied and revered by heads of state, business moguls and military leaders for centuries.<\/p>\n Why would we reference works from nearly 2,000 years ago? \u00a0No matter your role or how long you have been in it, we all have situations we would rather avoid. \u00a0Meditations<\/em>\u00a0provides timeless wisdom and insights that can help us understand the process of breaking through obstacles (and coaching others to do the same). \u00a0One passage stands out above the rest:<\/p>\n \u201cOur actions may be impeded, but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions.\u00a0 Because we can accommodate and adapt.\u00a0 The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. \u00a0The impediment to action advances action.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n What stands in the way becomes the way.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s convert this from 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0Century to 21st<\/sup>\u00a0Century vernacular. \u00a0As we move through life in pursuit of our goals, we occasionally get \u201cimpeded\u201d. \u00a0We find ourselves stalled, slowed down, or stopped in our tracks. \u00a0But there\u2019s no reason for that to hinder our commitment, our attitude, our energy, or our effort. Why? \u00a0Because we have been gifted with the intellectual capacity to gather information, assess the situation, and make changes. \u00a0If you want something in life that you have never had, you will likely have to do something that you have never done. \u00a0However, knowing what needs to be done and understanding what is holding you back from doing it are two different tasks.<\/p>\n Next:\u00a0\u201cThe mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This simply means that our job is to domesticate the obstacle. \u00a0We make the obstacle\u00a0serve us<\/u>\u00a0on our journey to achieve the goal. \u00a0We all have the right to live our best life; anything else is mediocre \u2013 and none of us were put in the roles we are in to simply be mediocre.<\/p>\n This leads us to Marcus\u2019 conclusion. \u00a0The impediment to action has been transformed from\u00a0standing<\/em>\u00a0in the way to\u00a0becoming<\/em>\u00a0the way.<\/p>\n Daily, we observe people attempting to avoid obstacles. \u00a0Every obstacle is unique to each of us. But the responses they elicit are very similar: Fear. \u00a0Frustration. \u00a0Confusion. \u00a0Helplessness. \u00a0Depression. \u00a0Anger. Change shifts our comfort zones, where we find security and stability, so these emotions are naturally occurring reactions.<\/p>\n In some cases, avoiding an obstacle is wise. \u00a0Ever step on a Lego? \u00a0Marcus isn\u2019t talking about Legos. \u00a0He\u2019s talking about the obstacles that we encounter in the pursuit of worthy goals.<\/p>\n The paths of meaningful work and goal achievement are littered with obstacles. \u00a0Therefore, doesn\u2019t it make sense to have a playbook we can execute each time we encounter an obstacle of significance? \u00a0In Ryan Holiday\u2019s book,\u00a0The Obstacle is the Way<\/em>, he offers three disciplines we can develop and use as that playbook.<\/p>\n Perception: \u00a0<\/strong>Your perception is how you interpret what\u2019s happening around you. \u00a0It affects how you see and respond to a situation. \u00a0To turn adversity to strength, the first step is to manage your perceptions. \u00a0Perceptions drive emotions. \u00a0Calmly and objectively evaluate what is happening and look for opportunities to take action.<\/p>\n Action:\u00a0 <\/strong>Sometimes, you must release your grip on your current identity in order to allow yourself to transform. \u00a0You simply cannot be the person you\u00a0want to be<\/em>\u00a0and the person you\u00a0currently are<\/em>\u00a0at the same time. \u00a0Once you have calibrated your perceptions and emotions, you are ready to take action:<\/p>\n Will:\u00a0 <\/strong>To endure and prevail, you must develop the will (inner power) to confront the obstacle\u00a0over and over again<\/u>. \u00a0Exercising your will is understanding that\u00a0despite<\/em>\u00a0the possibility \/ probability of failure, you continue to take purposeful, consistent action regardless. \u00a0Persist until you arrive at a solution.<\/p>\n What Are You Made Of?<\/strong><\/p>\n The world is constantly testing us. \u00a0It asks:\u00a0\u201cAre you worthy? Can you get past the things that inevitably appear in your way? \u00a0Will you stand up and show us what you are made of?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Whatever we face, we have a choice:\u00a0Will we be blocked by obstacles, or will we advance through and over them?<\/p>\n The late Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, said,\u00a0\u201cBad companies are destroyed by crisis. \u00a0Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Great individuals (and leaders), like great companies, find a way to transform weakness into strength. \u00a0It\u2019s a rather amazing feat. \u00a0They took what should have held them back \u2013 perhaps something that might be holding you back right this very second \u2013 and used it to move forward.<\/p>\n Focus on the things you can control, let go of everything else\u00a0and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, and\u00a0tougher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and a Stoic philosopher. \u00a0On the throne from 161 to 180, he was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. Marcus acquired the reputation of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sra-update"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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