Westman wanted to create something to leave with people he interacted with in recovery groups and to mark their achievements in sobriety, to remind them of the messages of AA and help keep them on their road to recovery. Įach coin is handcrafted in the United States by a custom mint operating in Minnesota since 1882-the same mint where the iconic AA anniversary medallions were created in 1973 by Bill Westman, an employee. Our hope is that when you encounter these obstacles you’ll feel the weight of the coin in your pocket and remember that each obstacle offers a chance to thrive not just in spite of whatever is in front of you, but because of it. No matter how successful we are or will be, we’re going to find things that stand in our path. One does not overcome one obstacle only to enter the land of no obstacles. The back shows Marcus’s enduring words: “The impediment to action advances action, what stands in the way becomes the way.”Īs the Haitian proverb puts it: Behind mountains are more mountains. To keep this thought in mind, we’ve created The Obstacle Is the Way medallion to carry with you. They rally to every challenge and thrive as a result. The Stoic grows stronger and better with every obstacle they face. The things that test us make us who we are. We can show patience, courage, humility, resourcefulness, reason, justice, and creativity. We don’t control when things get hard, but we always control how we respond. In this famous line, what he’s suggesting is that-no matter how bad or seemingly undesirable a situation becomes-we always have the opportunity to practice virtue, to use the situation as an opportunity to be our best selves.

Marcus would say that the Stoic finds a way to turn every negative into a positive. We set out to do something and it’s more trying than we expect. Now, with our newest medallion, you can carry this powerful truth with you wherever you go. The inspiration for the international bestseller The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday-that line, plucked from the pages of Marcus Aurelius’s private Meditations from nearly 2,000 years ago, is a timeless, life-changing lesson. What stands in the way becomes the way.” -Marcus Aurelius

“The impediment to action advances action.

Stoic obstacle is the way