A Thought Leader Deserving of Attention: Ryan Holiday
From books to podcasts to blogs to videos, I come across thought leaders that are deserving of attention—my attention. This is an article about one of those important people. Ryan Holiday.
Once I find someone like this, it usually leads to a continuous journey. And in that rabbit hole sometimes I find other books, authors, mediums. It doesn’t ever end—in a good way that is.
RYAN HOLIDAY
When I heard this individual on Cal Fussman’s podcast, he became top of mind for me. To a point where I sought out other podcast appearances of this person. I then listened to him being interviewed on The James Altucher Show — the episode titled, “Competition is for Losers”.
But I had heard of Holiday before. In fact, I had read his most popular book.
My aunt gifted me Ryan Holiday’s book, “The Obstacle is the Way” a few years ago. It fast became one of my favorite books. And since I received it as a gift, I’ve gifted it to others.
Ryan Holiday is more than just that book. His thoughts on stoicism (making it actually interesting unlike many of my middle school teachers), his way to simplify the work one does, his ideas on self-reflection, reading, writing, and marketing all lead to clearer thoughts, inspiration, less excuses, and more execution.
And he inspired me to read the book, “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelias, The Modern Library version—which I highly recommend because well it was the version Holiday recommended. Reading thoughts from the Roman Emperor you may think would be a dated ritual—instead you are blown away by how applicable his thoughts are to our lives today.
Besides The Obstacle is the Way, another book of his I like is, “The Perennial Seller”. And I am currently reading, “Trust Me, I’m Lying”. If you want to understand media manipulation, then this is a must read.
He has appeared on “The Ask Gary Vee Show” among many other podcasts. And his website is loaded with great insights. He recently released a new book, “Stillness is the Key.” I have not read this book yet because I am knee deep in others (see below), but I will.
Here are some books I am currently reading: “Skin in the Game”, “The Librarian of Auschwitz”, “Cosmos”, and “The Rational Optimist”.
Ultimately, why do I pay attention to Ryan Holiday? He keeps me thinking and refining myself.
article update 10/22/2019