Leadership
Be Relentless
If the Obstacle is the Way, Then We Must Be WayMakers
Move from sleepwalking through life to intentional living — and turn obstacles into opportunities.
About the book
Be Relentless is Jon Mayo's foundational book and the named origin of WayMaker. The subtitle states the throughline: if the obstacle is the way, then we must be WayMakers. It is the invitation to live your great adventure — and the roadmap to becoming the kind of person who turns obstacles into opportunity.
The book's central move is from sleepwalking through life — numb, dissatisfied, and dying while still drawing breath — to intentional living. At its heart is the indomitable human will, the greatest force of nature within our species, waiting to be unleashed. Grounded in the "obstacle is the way" ethos, it reframes frontiers of resistance as landscapes of opportunity.
Running through it is a Memento Mori urgency: time rushes past with cruel indifference, so we must not let it pass us unintentionally — whether we wake to this in our 20s or our 70s, it is never too late to take the first step. Jon develops the Intentional Cycle as the alternative to the default, drifting one, and works to retool the reader's relationship with pain — stewarding hardship and circumstance, transforming failure into growth, and refusing to be bound by a single past action.
Underneath the invitation is Jon's in-to-out model of transformation — Self, then Family, then Community, then World — and the Finnish idea of sisu: extraordinary, resilient determination under pressure. Relentlessness here is not harshness or burnout but steadfast, values-aligned commitment to purpose.
Be Relentless extends the invitation and provides the roadmap; the structured WayMaker Code and its ten tenets are introduced later, in the companion book, Forge Forward. As the foundational entry in Jon's library, Be Relentless is the natural starting point.
The framework
The WayMaker ethos — an invitation and roadmap to becoming a WayMaker: someone who, in the face of extreme adversity, does not yield but transforms frontiers of obstacles into landscapes of opportunity. The book unleashes the indomitable human will through intentional living over sleepwalking, a Memento Mori urgency about finite time, the Intentional Cycle, and a retooled relationship with pain.
What you'll take away
- Obstacles are the way — turning frontiers of resistance into opportunity
- Intentional living over sleepwalking through life
- The indomitable human will — the greatest force of nature waiting to be unleashed
- Memento Mori — finite time as the catalyst to act now, intentionally
- The Intentional Cycle versus the default, drifting one
- Retooling our relationship with pain — stewarding hardship, transforming failure into growth
- Relentlessness as sustained, values-aligned commitment — not harshness or burnout
- Sisu — indomitable spirit and resilience in adversity
- In-to-out transformation: Self → Family → Community → World
Who it's for
Leaders, founders, veterans in transition, and anyone who feels they are sleepwalking through life and wants the invitation and roadmap to act intentionally and turn obstacles into opportunity. Readers drawn to the WayMaker philosophy and the "obstacle is the way" ethos — building a business, raising a family, creating, or pursuing change, and needing to persist through adversity. As the foundational entry in Jon's library and the named origin of WayMaker, it is the natural starting point before Forge Forward, Your Next Mission, and the STRIVE Handbook.
Related reading
Go deeper on the ideas in this book.
Questions
Frequently asked.
What is Be Relentless about?
Be Relentless is Jon Mayo's foundational book and the named origin of WayMaker. It is the invitation and roadmap to becoming a WayMaker — moving from sleepwalking through life to intentional living, unleashing the indomitable human will, and turning obstacles into opportunities, grounded in a Memento Mori urgency about finite time.
Does Be Relentless contain the WayMaker Code?
No. Be Relentless extends the invitation and provides the roadmap to becoming a WayMaker. The structured WayMaker Code and its ten tenets are introduced later, in the companion book, Forge Forward (Chapter 3, "The WayMaker Code – A Creed for Intentional Living").
What does "Be Relentless" actually mean in the book?
Relentlessness here is steadfast commitment to your purpose — not harshness or burnout. It is taking relentless action toward the highest version of yourself, stripping away what holds you back, transforming failure into growth, and persisting through adversity with the indomitable human will.
Is there an audiobook of Be Relentless?
Yes. Be Relentless is available on Audible in addition to Amazon.
Where should I start with Jon Mayo's books?
Be Relentless is the foundational entry and the named origin of WayMaker, so it is the natural starting point — followed by its companion, Forge Forward, then Your Next Mission and the STRIVE Handbook.
