About the Book
"The Obstacle is the Way" by Ryan Holiday is a self-help book that explores the teachings of Stoicism to help individuals overcome obstacles and challenges in life. The author argues that obstacles are opportunities for growth and provides practical advice on how to develop resilience, adaptability, and a positive mindset to tackle adversity effectively. Through real-life examples and historical anecdotes, Holiday demonstrates how embracing obstacles can lead to personal transformation and success.
Eric Liddell
A Letter to Younger Me About Money
If you listen to anyone in their senior years long enough, youâll eventually hear something like, âIf I knew then what I know now . . . â But seniors arenât the only ones who feel that way. At age thirty, I find myself already saying the same thing about money. Recently, I left a financial planning firm after working as a creative director and wealth coach. I learned more in one year about financial stewardship than I had learned in my first 29 years of life. While working at the firm, I discovered the sorry state of my familyâs finances. I knew we werenât great with money, but I didnât realize the extent of our financial ignorance and problems. I also discovered that I wasnât alone. After six months at the firm, I was able to counsel clients who needed basic financial coaching, and it wasnât pretty. Regardless of income, most were living paycheck to paycheck, and they were up to their eyeballs in debt. Today, twenty-somethings are bombarded with opportunities to make poor financial decisions. At the relatively young age of thirty, I often find myself saying, âI wish I knew at twenty what I know today about money.â If I could have a conversation with my twenty-year-old self about money, here are three things I would tell him. 1. Money cannot buy you happiness. Throughout my twenties, I viewed money as the solution to most of my problems. This belief dictated how I spent my time and, ultimately, my earnings. At one point, I had seven jobs while pursuing a masterâs degree. But I was still broke and in debt, and I never finished my studies. Rather than a source of joy, money became a cruel master (Matthew 6:24). What Iâve discovered is that my experience is all too common. The sad thing is that so few of us seem to learn from our mistakes. We keep trying to pursue happiness through more money. Some will point to studies that suggest thereâs a correlation between money and happiness. One article reported that each additional dollar earned per year reduces peopleâs negative emotions â but that effect disappears at about $200,000 annually. In other words, money is a limited help at best, and certainly doesnât buy lasting happiness, as any honest observer of wealthy people can quickly perceive. Ultimately, money is a means to an end. A dollar or a piece of gold is only as valuable as what we can trade for it. And money is dangerous. It gives the illusion of granting access to anything. So we can easily elevate it to the throne that should be reserved only for our ultimate provider: God, the giver of all good things. So I would tell my twenty-year-old self: Donât try to buy happiness with money. This would have dramatically changed my finances, especially with regard to debt. 2. Donât borrow money carelessly. In my twenties, I borrowed foolishly, and Iâm still paying for it. From student loans to credit cards, I went into debt without giving it a second thought. Debt allowed me to get what I wanted when I wanted it. And the best part? I didnât have to wait or ask for permission. This is the great temptation every twenty-something faces in an age when money is so easily borrowed. The Bible doesnât condemn debt as inherently sinful, but it clearly warns us that money shouldnât be borrowed haphazardly. And Scripture also tells us that when we incur a debt, it is evil not to pay what we owe. Romans 13:8 says, âLet no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one anotherâ (NIV). And Psalm 37:21 says, âThe wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and givesâ (NKJV). If I could counsel my twenty-year-old self on debt, hereâs what I would say: Donât borrow money unless you absolutely have to. There is too much at stake to borrow money without giving it careful thought. If youâre considering a credit card or a loan, count the costs, and beware of the risks. And once in debt, I would say, Make a plan to eliminate it as soon as possible. 3. Save, give, and spend money proactively. âA wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesnât and even brags about it!â (Proverbs 13:16 TLB). One of the worst mistakes I made with money was failing to plan wisely. When I received a paycheck or extra cash, I lacked direction. Like the fool in that Proverb, I was proud that I didnât budget. I absolutely hated the idea. Budgeting felt intimidating and seemed like a lot of work. Besides, as long as I didnât plan, I could remain in denial that I was a poor steward of the resources God had given me. I could pretend I was giving and spending wisely and no one could confirm or deny it. And I could make spending decisions based mostly on my feelings. This felt like freedom, but it wasnât. Now I would say this to my foolish twenty-year-old self: Making a plan for your money may help give you dominion over it. Being planless is not being free; being planless makes you a slave to money. But a good financial plan turns money into your slave to serve what you really value. You will be empowered to save, give, and spend money proactively rather than reactively. Itâs Not Too Late to Change Hindsight is indeed twenty-twenty. And itâs not like I now manage money perfectly. Even though I understand more now how to handle money, I donât always act on my knowledge. But over the last year, Iâve come a long way. And if I canât help my twenty-year-old self, I hope I can help others avoid the mistakes I made, or help them make changes like Iâve had to make. No matter how old we are, itâs not too late to correct our course. Weâre never too old to stop trying to buy happiness with money, or to get out of debt as soon as possible, or to begin governing money instead of being governed by money. We want to serve God and not money (Matthew 6:24). But the less intentional we are with our money, the more likely we will end up serving it, for good stewardship is impossible without intentionality. Article by Phillip Holmes
