The Alchemist
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho’s book, Alchemist, is one of the bestselling books in history. This is a story of a Santiago boy on his journey to realize his “Personal Dream”. The story has inspired lots of people across the world.
Below are ten lessons that you can learn from The Alchemist. Within the lessons, some quotes have been extracted from the book. This will make you reassess yourself and know you’re the biggest threat to your success.
1. Fear is one of the most giant stumbling blocks
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
Any new adventure needs you to enter unchartered territory, which is very scary. But it should be noted that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. The experience you gain while pursuing your goals will make you a champion at the end of the day.
2. The truth will always survive and thrive
“If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.”
Truth cannot vanish no matter the smoke. It will always be firm, and it will only take time for people to know the reality. Therefore, it’s advisable to be truthful in your decision making and always stand with the truth; you’ll be vindicated.
3. Do away with monotony.
“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”
It’s advisable to find better ways of doing things. Life becomes mundane, monotonous, and stagnant by being so constant in your operations. Look life from a different angle and develop strategies that change friendly.
4. Embrace change
“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can always concentrate on the present, you’ll be a happy man.”
There is no point for resisting change and dwelling on the past. Accept change and move on and trust yourself and abilities. Engaging with the present will sharpen your life.
5. Success contains a ripple-effect
“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
Change, Growth, and evolution are incorporated into living realities. Becoming a better person in whatever, you’re doing will create a ripple effect that will benefit everything around you. That is from your family, lifestyle, friends, and community.
6. Make decisions
“When someone makes a decision, he is diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
It’s straightforward to be overwhelmed by multiple unknowns when it comes to making decisions. But the appropriate way of dealing with such situations is making a decision and having confidence in your decision. Being a fence sitter is a failure-oriented tickling bomb.
7. Unrealistic thinking
“I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what does.”
Some of the greatest inventions in the world were made because people got unrealistic in terms of thinking. If everything was thought the same everything was to be same. Try to be unrealistic in terms of thinking, and you will have the best solutions for challenging adventures or tasks.
8. Never give up
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
If you fall and stay there, no one will know you tried. Keep pushing; the breakthrough is on the way. Even with a thousand failings or rejections, if you’re doing the right thing at the right time, there will be a way out.
9. Focus on yourself
“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
If you want to reach far, focus on yourself and what you’re doing. It’s easy to get confused and influenced by others, especially failures. There’s nothing wrong to take advice but ensure the prescribed advice aligns with your passions and desires.
10. Take action
“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.”
Get to know that you can’t read, study, or learn if you don’t act. The rubber must meet the road for you to make it. Otherwise, if you fear trying, you will be described as a failure that didn’t try.