What Life Is All About - Lessons Learned From Reading The Alchemist

I just finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is a book that comes up in a lot of people's recommendations. I hadn't read a lot about it, just knew that people I admired and trusted highly recommended it. I have to admit that it wasn't what I was expecting. It was a story that presented some deep philosophical ideals that really make you think and reflect on things within your work, family and overall life. To give you a sample, here are some of my favorite concepts that come from some of the best quotes:

  1. "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." - Everyone needs to have a dream. Without a dream we just mindlessly go through life day-by-day. If it is the dream of writing a book, starting a business, traveling the world, or starting a family, hold onto that dream and go after it.
  2. "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." - If you are true to the passions in your life and pursue it with the right attitude, God will create the right opportunities for you, introduce the needed people into your life that can open the doors you need.
  3. "No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it." - We all have a purpose in this world. It may seem small and insignificant, not all of us are meant to be written in the history books. But maybe we are that one person that influences the life of the person that will be. (Great story in a previous article that is around this very subject here.)
  4. "Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own." - A simple one, just worry about yourself because you have enough to work on in yourself, you don't have time to worry about anyone else.
  5. "The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them." - We make life more complicated than it needs to be. Just as little things can irritate us, little things can bring us tremendous joy. We are so busy and trying to find the big things that we often miss the small daily treasures in front of us every day.
  6. "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." - We get scared of going after the things we most desire because we are scared that we might not achieve it. But going after something you dream about is worth the risk.
  7. "The secret to life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." - We are going to have hardships, challenges and failures in life. It doesn't escape anyone. All we can do when we are knocked down, is to stand up, dust ourselves off and try again. When you are a baby learning to walk, you fell down. That fall didn't stop you. Don't quit just because you had a setback.


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