Holiday argues that, with the right attitude, people can find opportunities within obstacles. He encourages readers to see how negative events often contain hidden benefits or opportunities, and inspires them to try to emulate historical figures.

Holiday claims that by combining three steps—a rational perception, well-planned actions, and a strong will—people will be able to identify and embrace opportunities that come from challenges: “When one person sees a crisis, another can see an opportunity” (16). He points to a variety of successful people who embraced hardship as an opportunity to learn, or as a personal test they had to pass. For instance, John D. Rockefeller made a conscious decision to not allow his rocky start in business to scare him into a different industry. Instead, he saw his early career as a learning opportunity, and as such experienced remarkable success. Holiday explains:

Of course, many people experienced the same perilous times as Rockefeller—they all attended the same school of bad times. But few reacted as he did. Not many had trained themselves to see opportunity inside this obstacle […] a chance to learn from a rare moment in economic history (16).

Holiday also portrays Steve Jobs as someone who exemplified the ability to transform challenge into opportunity.