Category: Attitude

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Attitude Book Reviews

Is the Obstacle the Way?

Before I read The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday, I thought of obstacles as something to overcome. I imagined life as an obstacle course. When I’ve watched, American Ninja Warrior, I pictured all the challenges along the course as situations in life. They were something that got in the way and must be overcome.

https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph/dp/B00K5JUNSU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38OCAEX8DE4LO&keywords=the+obstacle+is+the+way+by+ryan+holiday&qid=1550627586&s=gateway&sprefix=the+obstacle%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1

Ryan Holiday’s book challenged me to look at obstacles in a different way. Stoicism is a philosophy I heard about when training for a marathon. When I got the chance to read it, the book made me ponder so many questions.

  • What if, instead of looking at obstacles as the enemy, they were your friend?
  • What if an obstacles is just what you need to achieve your goals?
  • What if how you viewed an obstacle was more important than figuring out how to eliminate it?

Life is full of struggles and hardships. This book made me realize that it is not foolishness when people willingly take on a project that will have obstacles. Small businesses would never start if that was the case. Missions to help others would never launch. I am thankful for a new perspective on challenges and obstacles. Yes, they can be the way to success.

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Attitude writing

Just Start, For Crying Out Loud!

We’re all scared to do something. The fear of starting is often more terrifying than the action we dread. We spend too much time fretting whether we can do it right than actually doing the work.

Continue reading “Just Start, For Crying Out Loud!”
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Attitude Purpose

Stubbornly Determined 

Cartoon of a jogging coupleI’ve learned that anything that requires determination takes a little stubbornness. When facing a daunting task, you’ll be told:

  • it’s not worth it.
  • There are not enough resources.
  • You’re not enough.
  • Aren’t you afraid?
  • Nobody has ever done this before. What makes you think you can?
  • If you feel scared, maybe that’s a sign you should stop 

Stubbornness is good when used correctly.

  • Be stubborn in your goal, but flexible in how to get there.
  • Be stubborn in standing up for what’s right, but flexible in how you communicate your vision to different people. 
  • Be stubborn in plugging away at your goal, but flexible in giving yourself a break. Nobody can be on 24/7/365.

I used to think being stubborn was a bad quality. Now I know it’s required for any goal with bumps and obstacles along the way.

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Attitude Running

Keep on Running!

Cartoon of a runner shouting, "Just keep running!"
Copyright ©2017 Kevin Spear

This morning, I am going to be running the To Do My Best Half-Marathon in Troy, Ohio. I am looking forward to it because I haven’t run one in well over two years. I know. It’s a sickness. But I gladly embrace my malady.

Continue reading “Keep on Running!”
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Attitude

Is the world really as scary as it seems?

If you listen to the news media for very long, you get the feeling everything is falling apart and everyone is ready to strangle each other. It can leave you with a feeling of fear and despair. You get the impression apocalypse has already come and the only thing left to do is write off the world and call it a day.

But if you unplug, take a drive across the country, and get out into nature, you get an entirely different feeling. The forests are unaffected by news hype. Mountains and valleys care little about the elections and the latest violence to hit the streets. True, what mankind does to nature affects it. But the story mankind tells itself is much scarier than the reality of a quiet trail, or a babbling brook. Just don’t take in some media before you leave. You’ll probably see a story about a man-eating cougar, a rabid bear or a bigfoot sighting.

The news media itself is suffering from downsizing and cutthroat competition. Perhaps the media loves to scare us because the typical news reporter is scared he or she will lose their job next week. Perhaps when you focus on the worse of humanity, you begin to believe your own hype. 

It is so much easier to focus on the worst of humanity. It is so much more difficult, but rewarding to balance it with the good of nature as well as the best of humanity. It is out there. You just have to be intentional and escape the 24 hour news cycle once in a while.