The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

Holiday describes John D. Rockefeller’s rise from poverty to business tycoon in the late 1800s. He attributes Rockefeller’s success to his ability to learn from adversity, such as the market crashes of 1857 and subsequent financial problems in following decades, as well as the civil war. Rockefeller referred to these challenging experiences as his “‘school of adversity and stress’” and emphasized how he chose to learn from them (15). Over time, Rockefeller outlasted his rivals and controlled 90% of the oil market in the United States. Holiday attributes Rockefeller’s resilience to his ability to perceive negative experiences as learning opportunities and manage the panic and fear that people naturally feel in response to challenges. Holiday concludes by asking the reader to confront challenges by focusing on what they can control, considering the silver linings in a situation, and trying to remain objective and calm.

In the 1960s, boxing champion Rubin Carter was wrongly convicted of a triple homicide and spent 19 years in prison before finally being released after his conviction was overturned. Holiday explains that Carter never considered himself a prisoner and resisted aspects of social control such as wearing a uniform, doing prison labor, or even attending parole hearings.