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About 10 years ago was the first time I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It’s truly an amazing book. Reading that book 10 years later there are so many lessons I thought I had learned but really hadn’t learned because I still struggle with them. There are also gems that the book delivers that I think I just wasn’t quite ready to learn. Maybe I just didn’t have the ability to understand them back then, but they hit me like a ton of bricks this go around.
Seeing as it’s the OG Millennial way to share knowledge that could help us all achieve our goal or ‘personal legends’ (book reference), I think it’s only right to write an OGM Book Review on it.
I’ll keep it short and direct. The 10 lessons from the book that resonated when I read it this time. I’ll try to put in a mini explanation on each one, that way even if you haven’t read the book it’s still something that you can take with you and apply it to your journey as you work to achieve your goals in life.
Your “Personal Legend” is your main assignment.
Every single person has something that they were meant to pursue or go after. Deep down you know what it is, but most of us ignore it to our own detriment. The cost of ignoring it isn’t always failure, but it’s usually the pain of regret and a constant quiet dissatisfaction.When you actually commit, things start to align and fall into place.
In the book it says “when you want something, the universe conspires…”
Now this isn’t some magic trick but it’s actually a simple concept. The best example I have for this is, lets say you want a new car but you want it to be unique. You do your research and decide it’s going to be Car X because no one else wants it. Now all of a sudden a car you hadn’t noticed anyone driving before seems to be all you notice everywhere. The same applies to things you commit to. All of a sudden you start to notice opportunities, you take some action, and doors seem to start to open as you take continuous action.Fear is the biggest barrier to achieving whatever you want to achieve. Not failure.
Most people don’t fail, they just don’t actually try. They fear failing, they fear judgment, and they fear uncertainty. Fear in and of itself shouldn't stop you because it’s natural, now giving in to that fear, that’s where issues arise.The journey or process you have to go through to achieve your goals is the actual reward, not whatever your goal is.
In the book, The Boy thought finding his treasure was the goal but it was far from it. The real win is what you learn in the process, how you grow, and who you become.You sometimes have to lean into your intuition.
In the book it’s referred to as reading the “omens.” Simply put I think it’s just paying attention to patterns, trusting your instincts, and recognize the timing of things. Not every move has to be logical, some things (not all) are just felt.Your Boss Will Think You’re an Ecom Genius
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You can’t skip steps.
Every single part of the journey matters. The beginning, the middle, the struggle, the growth, everything. Each of those phases play a role in the journey, and trying to rush through them leads to missing the lessons necessary to achieve your goals.Comfort is the enemy of purpose.
The Boy had a safe life as a shepherd, so did the store owner, and a bunch of other people he met along his journey. One thing that was clear to see in every one of them was that they had “personal legend” but they chose the comfort of their life rather than go after it. That comfortable life can still be the wrong life. As a shepherd The Boy had a comfortable life but he still left to go after his “personal legend” and it was the best decision he made.People will project their fears on you.
Just like the shepherd, people will project their fears on you. You cannot be deterred by that. They doubted him, they warned him, and they discouraged him. They even stole from him in the process, but none of that stopped him from continuing his push forward towards his “personal legend.” The lesson here is that most advice is filtered through the limitations of whoever is giving it.You must risk something to gain something.
You have to give to get. The Boy risked money, time, and even personal safety on his journey. You don’t get a different life without making different bets.Your treasure is often closer than you think.
This one might be a spoiler if you haven’t read the book but I won’t give too much away. To summarize, all along, the treasure he was searching for wasn’t where he expected, it was actually closer to where he started.
If I had to summarize the book in a line or to it’ll be this:
Deep down, we already know. We already know and the only issue is that we haven’t gone all in yet.
I hope this encourages you to read the book for yourself. I think it’ll be worth it. It’s a short read as well so it won’t be too time consuming.
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