What Stands In The Way Becomes The Way - Marcus Aurelius

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, "... the impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." It sounds like a riddle, something a Stoic philosopher would meditate on but that has little place in our hectic modern lives. How can a roadblock possibly be the road?

But maybe it’s less of a paradox and more of a perspective shift. The first part, acknowledging the "impediment to action," is easy. We know it well. It’s the unexpected bill that ruins the budget, the project at work that hits a dead end, or the difficult conversation we’ve been avoiding. Our natural instinct is to see these things as purely negative; frustrating walls that stop our progress.

The magic is in the second part: realizing that this wall can become the way forward. This isn’t about pretending the obstacle doesn’t exist. It’s about looking at it not as a barrier, but as a building material. That unexpected bill might force you to finally create a financial plan, building a skill that serves you for life. The dead-end project pushes your team to find a wildly creative solution you never would have considered on the easy path. The difficult conversation, once navigated, forges a stronger, more honest relationship.

The mind, as Aurelius knew, has the power to accommodate and adapt. It can take the very thing that causes friction and use it as fuel. The weight that provides resistance at the gym is the same weight that builds muscle. The tough feedback that stings is the same feedback that hones your craft. Our obstacles don’t just interrupt our journey; they are the journey.

We don’t have to solve every problem at once. We just have to face the immediate impediment and ask a different question. Instead of "How do I get rid of this?" we can ask, "How can I use this?" By doing so, we learn to see that the way forward is not a clear, empty path, but one we pave with the very stones that were once in our way.