The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Review

Recommended Read: Yes

Rate: 5/5

A perfect book to read on a summer day. A perfect book to read when you want to take a break in life and look at life from the outside. A perfect book to read at any time in life. This book takes the main character on a journey in life towards finding himself. A Sheppard boy that goes where ever his sheep lead him too. Somehow though, he figures out that everything in his life plays a part in finding himself. Anyone can relate to this character. We all have our own story: Life. We all have our own paths that we go through, obstacles we face and challenges we overcome. An Alchemist? This boy doesn't even know the meaning of that word but somehow, through his journey he finds out what it is. Some of the most memorable extracts from this book are:

-          Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our paths

4 fears that are barriers to confront our courage

-          1. Dreams – we are told from childhood everything we want to do is impossible. As we grow with this idea so does our Prejudice, Fear and Guilt.

-          2. Love – if we have the courage to disinter our dream – we know what we want but, we then face the obstacle of leaving everything behind and pursuing our dream.

-          3. Fear of Defeats we meet on our paths: We suffer when things do not work out. We must be prepared to have patience in difficult times, and to know that the universe is with us in our favour – even though we do not understand how.
Are Defeats Necessary? – Yes because when we first begin fighting for our dream we have no experience and make mistakes.
The secret of life is to Fall 7 times and GET UP 8 times

-           4.  Realizing Our Dream – Fear of realizing our dreams which we have fought all our live. “Each man kills the thing he loves” – Oscar Wilde
As we notice that achieving our dream is so near, we tend to look around the people who have failed, forgetting our obstacles we faced to get that far.

Solution – Believe yourself worth of what you worked so hard to get  

Once we have overcome the defeats – We are filled with happiness + confidence

Intense Unexpected Suffering Passes More Quickly Than Suffering That is Apparently Bearable 

-          If you trust and depend on others, you forget about your own instincts, because the others lead you to the nourishment

-          Every action has a purpose so we must be prepared for a change

-          Realize where you are everyday and notice changes around you

-          It is the possibility of making a dream come true that makes it interesting

Problem

When someone sees the same person every day, they wind up becoming a part of the person’s life – Then you will want the person to change – If others are not what you want them to be then you get angry

Solution:

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their life but none about his/her own

  

-          Whoever you are or whatever it is you want to do, it is because of the desire that originated in the soul of the universe. IT IS YOUR MISSION ON EARTH.

-          The soul of the universe is achieved by HAPPINESS, UNHAPPINESS, JEALOUSY, ENVY

To realize ones destiny is a person’s agreement – When you want something, the universe works with you to achieve it.

-          Everything in life has its price – IF YOU START OFF PROMISING WHAT YOU DON’T EVER HAVE YET, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR DESIRE TO WORK TOWARD GETTING IT.

-          When each day is the same as the next it is because people fail to realize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises

PRINCIPLE OF FAVORIBILITY

-          For example, When playing cards for the first time – if you win it is a beginners luck – This is a force that wants you to realize your personal legend

-          Beginners Luck – sharpens your appetite – Our desires determine our Personal Legend

-          Everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else

Decision

-          Making a decision is just the beginning, it is like diving into a strong current that will take you places you never dreamed of

We are able to speak the language of the universe which is understood by everyone

1)      Language of Enthusiasm – It is the purpose and love you put into the work that attracts people. Work should be accomplished by love and purpose and the search for something believed in and desired. Travelers like sheep that keep traveling know about moving on

2)      Language of Intuition – Sudden immersion – deep involvement – of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected and we know everything because it’s all written there  - Mukhtab(Arabic) – Destiny.

-          Our life’s goal is like a compass being used as a destination. There will be many detours and obstacle we have to overcome but we should always focus on the final destination

-          People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want – When you want something with all your heart that is when you are closest to the soul of the world – Positive Force (Alchemy)

  

3)      Language of Love – understand that love never keeps a person from pursuing my destiny. If the pursuit is abandoned then it was not true love.

-          Listening and understand to our heats in really important. Our hearts can seem to have fear that in following our dream, we might lose everything that is won, this can cause unexpected emotions.

-          IF we Understand our hearts well enough we can know its dreams and wishes and will know how to deal with them, by accepting as it is

IT IS NOT WHAT ENTERS THE PERSONS MOUTH THAT IS EVIL, IT IS WHAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH THAT IS EVIL

When we want to achieve our dream we are tested  by the universe on everything we have learnt along the way in our lives.

We start off with a beginners luck and end up with being heavily tested.

Our hearts tell us our personal legend as children, it is up to us to follow it

Our hearts have a lot of fear of losing things, but we must confront obstacles and understand our hearts and what it tells us.

-          When you possess great treasure and try to tell others, rarely are we believed

-          Our eyes show the strength of our soul

-          All things have their own personal legend to fulfill. Such as metal into gold.

-          Everything evolves to its fullest

-          When something evolves everything around them evolves

ANYONE WHO INVOLVES THEMSELVES INTO THE PERSONAL LEGEND OF ANOTHER ----- WILL NEVER FIND THEIR OWN

We must surpass the Fear of Failure to achieve our dream

-          When we strive to become better than we are everything around us becomes better too – love is the force that makes our transformation better

-          NO PROJECT IS COMPLETE UNTIL ITS OBJECTIVES ARE MET


References:
Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998. Print.