We give up too easily. With a simple change of attitude, what seem like insurmou ntable obstacles become once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Ryan Holiday, who drop ped out of college at nineteen to serve as an apprentice to bestselling 'modern Machiavelli' Robert Greene and is now a media consultant for billion-dollar bran ds, draws on the philosophy of the Stoics to guide you in every situation, showi ng that what blocks our path actually opens one that is new and better. If the c ompetition threatens you, it's time to be fearless, to display your courage. An impossible deadline becomes a chance to show how dedicated you are. And as Ryan discovered as Director of Marketing for American Apparel, if your brand is gener ating controversy - it's also potentially generating publicity. The Stoic philos ophy - that what is in the way, is the way - can be applied to any problem: it's a formula invented more than 2,000 years ago, whose effectiveness has been prov en in battles and board rooms ever since. From Barack Obama's ability to overcom e obstacles in his election races, to the design of the iPhone, the stoic philos ophy has helped its users become world-beaters.