booknewb

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way" This train of thought, written to himself by Marcus Aurelius a philosopher king from 2 nd century Rome; 100-200 AD, advises what stands in our way; the hardships; the failures; these are part of the path. This is the path.  The Obstacle is the Way is heavy with stoic principles. Ryan Holidays splits the book into 3 parts: Perception, Action and Will. Managing perception; Directing action; and Enduring and accept the world as it is. Perception. It’s how we look and understand our environment. External events do not mean any specific thing. We give them meaning. How we see an event depends on whether we perceive it as strengthening or exhausting. To be objective, see things as they are, keep an even keel, stay present and focused on what can be controlled.  Action equates to doing the right things, Actions are not created equal. Working on the things that matter, and being per...

Your Name You have to commend the writing of the creator. I had two “what is going on” instances at different times in the movie.  At one point I thought it was going to be a teen romance story, and then when it started to gear towards being what seemed like a coming-of-age story, it forms into a fantasy mirroring real events one would see in a disaster movie. At its core is a romance between these two high school-aged characters, which are very easily relatable. At the end, after having rooted for them, you’d just want for them to resolve. The rules of the created world in “Your Name” are never explained.  How the two lead characters were able to switch to another, and what the limits would be; and how they were able to remember and what caused forgetting the memories? These may have been kept intact so the mystery remains. 5 Centimeters Per Second This movie is split into three acts. All woven through themes of longing, unsaid and missed con...

"I’ve often said that I wished people could realize all their dreams of wealth and fame so they could see that it’s not where you’ll find your sense of completion.   ...   I can tell you from experience, the effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is."   From a 2014 commencement speech addressed by Jim Carrey

The title being the main message; Ryan Holiday tells stories of successes and failures by prominent individuals of history and from the recent period; and how everyone is susceptible to the pangs of Ego. When not careful, the same drives that sets us out to attain our successes can easily be the same mechanism that causes us to crash. The book is divided into three parts; Aspire, Success and Failure. As it is with any human endeavour, we have always strived for better. Still, It takes a conscious mind to be able to catch one’s self when the sails are steering away from what truly matters. In times when we aspire for better, it is of great character to be humble and learn. Once we’ve had our successes, the way to stumble is to be disrespectful and to believe our own hype. Instead, we should strive to be gracious and have an open mind, and that what we do is ultimately something beyond ourselves. Alas, when we faced with failures and setbacks; instilling values of res...