The BOOK that Changed my life — ‘The Alchemist’
I was strolling on the streets of Delhi one afternoon when my eyes caught it. It was lying somewhere in the piles of books — different kinds from action to romance, classics to the latest on the side of the street. I once heard about the book vaguely but never had any idea what the hell it was.
“Which one do you want, Sir?” the bookseller who wasn’t more than 20 years of age asked me raptly.
“Just a minute,” I replied.
I was confused. My guts were telling me to buy it while my logical mind was forcing me to think before any irrational act. In the past, it happened a lot that I took books that ended up in the closet and were never seen again.
Finally, my instinct overpowered my brain, and I picked the life-altering book — ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ~ Paulo Coelho
Why am I saying it as a life-altering book? Have a look at these 4 lessons that the book taught me.
1. Have Courage to pursue your dreams/passion
It’s easy to see a dream and more easy to brag about it. However, you will realise that it’s not a cakewalk as soon as you begin walking on it. A slew of challenges rolls over you day after day that you feel tired and exasperated. Remember the bitter truth that it’s one thing to have the passion or dream and it’s one thing to achieve or get success in that.
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” ~Paulo Coelho
Be ready to grind, wrestle, and cry on the journey to your dream. In Alchemist, Santiago had to confront many back-to-back challenges in the arduous journey. But he was courageous to follow the path at any cost, leaving his comfort and vulnerabilities behind so he could attain what he was aspiring for.
2. Find yourself in the process
You can’t attain great success unless and until you find the ‘I’ in you. Only if you have this ‘I’ then you can have belief and conviction for yourself. After that, you will move on to the pathway of your dream.
Life lessons are nothing but the process of carving out you and make you the real one.
You have become worthy of the treasure you aspire to have. Hence, life takes a test to ensure whether you’re worthy of it or not. Never fear life challenges as there are solutions one way or another.
Santiago got the treasure where he had dreamed of it. However, life tested him to assess whether he was worthy of it or not. By overpowering all the obstacles, he finally succeeded to get the precious.
3. Every experience counts
Life isn’t a rosy path where every pathway is showered with rose petals and mulberry leaves and prevailed with aromatic fragrance.
It’s rough and tough and many times unfair and cruel. Bill Gates says “Life is unfair so get used to it.
Hence, many encounters on the journey would be nasty and hard-forgotten. It might break you to the core of your soul and you want to leave everything all at once. No more challenges. No more obstacles. We all wish to get what we want without doing much effort.
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” ~ Paulo Coelho
However, this fact must be ingrained in our minds deeply that nothing is cheaply in the world. Santiago was robbed many times and had to ask for help. But it never daunted him to leave the path unfinished. He had a zeal to go to the end at any cost and eventually he did.
Besides, he learned many things as well. He made good friends, found love, and learned many skills. So it’s all part and parcel of life. No worries over them too much.
4. Reject “Fear of Failure”
Many of us don’t take the first step just because we have fear of failure. We want to avoid that unpleasant feeling of being rejected by others. But we may forget that it’s the first and most toughest hurdle in anyone’s path — all door ways to success go through the failures.
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” ~ Paulo Coelho
Don’t let the world dictate over you. Be fearless and strong to handle the rejections as swiftly as possible. We must know that all great people have faced rejections in their lives all the time, though it don’t deter them to become successful. They used the rejections as a ladder to success. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?
