Book Ponder

• Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday
• Published: September 28, 2021
• Pages: 278
• Read: January 15, 2022 – February 6, 20222
• Rating: 4/5 Stars

Nothing Is Impossible

Ryan talks about having the wrong mindset when facing a problem or challenge.  We let the thought creep in that this thing is impossible and why even try it?  He quotes Leo Tolstoy, “There is no deed in this life so impossible that you cannot do it.  Your whole life should be lived as a heroic deed.”  There are truly impossible things but imagine if we attacked every single task as if success was always possible.  How much higher would our success rate be if we constantly gave it the effort that was needed because we knew at some point we would succeed?  After reading this quote, I began to try to tackle every task as if it was my calling to accomplish this, it may sound fatuous to treat common chores this way, but I promise you it will make even these kinds of activities more fulfilling when you accomplish them to the best of your abilities.

If Not Me, Then Who?

In the previous lesson we talked about nothing being impossible and many times in human history there have been moments when everyone thought something was impossible until one person didn’t.

 “Conversely, the greatest moments in human history all share one thing—whether it’s landing on the moon or civil rights, the final stand at Thermopylae or the art of the Renaissance: The bravery of ordinary men and women. People who did what needed to be done. People who said, “If not me, then who?”

Ryan Holiday

It is human nature for us to believe something is impossible if it’s never been done, yet when we see someone else do it, the impossible slowly becomes more and more common.  A good example is Roger Bannister running the first sub-four-minute mile, doctors had said it was humanly impossible to accomplish this and a person’s heart would explode if they attempted it.  Roger Bannister believed nothing was impossible and once others realized it was possible the four-minute mile became achievable by many others.  In certain circumstances, we must be like Roger and believe that we are the ones who will achieve the impossible.

Always Be Ready

“To each,” Winston Churchill would say,

“there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

How many of life’s moments have we missed out on because we were not ready?  This does not have to be exclusive to physical fitness but can also apply to other aspects of life.  Your favorite sports team finally makes the championship and all your buddies are going to go but you can’t afford it because you haven’t been living within your means financially… the opportunity of a lifetime missed.  Your work is finally putting together a basketball team that you have been asking for…but when it becomes a reality you can’t play because you haven’t been staying in shape.  These are just small scenarios in a world that is constantly giving us opportunities and many of us aren’t ready.  How many more great experiences are we going to allow to pass us by because we aren’t ready?  Don’t put things off until tomorrow, get your finances and physical fitness in order today because we do not know what tomorrow holds.

Be Scared, Not Afraid

“Be scared. You can’t help that,” William Faulkner put it. “But don’t be afraid.” It’s an essential distinction. A scare is a temporary rush of a feeling. That can be forgiven. Fear is a state of being, and to allow it to rule is a disgrace.”

We must find the difference between fear and being scared.  They may feel the same but being scared is a temporary human reaction that many times comes on without our control.  A car almost rear-ends you and you get scared, you have a big test, and you are scared of failing, you are going to ask someone out and are scared of rejection, these are all natural human reactions.  A state of being scared at all times and allowing this feeling to control us is fear.  Fear will prohibit us from taking risks and many of the things worth doing are scary!  Sometimes fearing doing something means that the action is worth doing.

“There is nothing worth doing that is not scary. There is no one who has achieved greatness without wrestling with their own doubts, anxieties, limitations, and demons.”

Ryan Holiday

The saying that “If it were easy, then everyone would do it” still holds true today.  Being able to accomplish difficult tasks allows you to grow as a person while simultaneously accomplishing great things in your life.  Do not let fear hold you back from taking on challenges and you will be rewarded greatly.

Courage is Calling is Ryan Holiday’s first book in his Stoic Virtue Series followed by Discipline is Destiny which will also be reviewed later.  I would recommend reading them both in the order they were released because once we can become courageous, we can begin to implement discipline into our lives.