Seven powerful ways how the Alchemist can change your life

It’s been over five years since I first read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Three weeks ago on holiday, I re-read it for the fifth time, and I plan to re-read it every year for a long time to come. This little book about a shepherd traveling to Egypt to find his treasure is so full of wisdom that I learn something every time.

If you read my bio you know that I have been idling along in life for a long time. I didn’t know what I wanted with my life, I didn’t know what to do for education or work, and I didn’t even know who I really was. But these questions were on my mind, and by thinking them over you position yourself to be ready for answers. An old Chinese proverb says “When the student is ready, a teacher will appear.” The Alchemist, or Paulo Coelho if you will, has been a teacher for me.

Here are seven lessons, illustrated with quotes from The Alchemist, that have the power to change your life for the better.

1. Dreams get the juices flowing

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

It’s not the dream come true that makes life interesting, it’s the possibility of it happening. The journey is as important as the destination, however without a destination (your dream) the journey is without direction and loses its meaning. So dream that dream, and pursue it.

2. You knew what you wanted when you were young

It (destiny) is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny.

This had me thinking, can I remember the time in my life where everything was clear and everything was possible? Not really. I do remember wanting to be fighter jet pilot, astronaut or archeologist. They don’t seem to have much in common, but what I found appealing in these professions was pushing borders. The borders of speed and power, and of space and time. I was always interested in professions that proved that borders can be pushed, that there was more to achieve than we thought. I still have this fascination, but my focus is on human potential now.
Think about what you wanted to be as a kid, what was your dream?

3. Pursue your dreams, the universe will help

Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

There are a lot of names and explanations for this phenomenon, but they main thing is that it’s so true. If you have a dream and really want to achieve it, look at the world with an open mind and you will recognize all the signs and all the people that will help you along the way. You can call it the Law of Attraction, or destiny, or the power of visualization, or synchronicity, or whatever. Share your dream with the world and focus on realizing it, and you will get help.

4. Pursue your dreams, don’t fear failure

Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure.

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.

Two quotes for this lesson. Don’t fear failure, expect success. Fearing failure will do two things:

• It will prevent you from taking action, and without action you’re not moving
• It will increase the likelihood of failure happening (as you so actively visualize it)

Reframing failure might also work, I like this saying about failure: “It’s not falling that we call failure, it’s neglecting to get up again.”

5. Make decisions and learn from the journey

Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

“There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.

Making a decision and committing to action are not results, they are the start of something powerful. They set forth a chain of events, a strong current, that take you further on your journey. Enjoy that journey as it will take you place you did not expect, but they provide you with lessons to learn that you need to realize your dream.

6. Love makes us better

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

Love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny.

Love will not get in the way of realizing your dream. If you let love be the reason for giving up on your dreams, you subconsciously will blame love for it later in your life. You’ll look at the one you love with an underlying feeling of remorse, which in turn will sabotage your love. If we love we strive to be become better than we are, better as a partner, as a parent or as a person. The love will only deepen when we allow ourselves and others to pursue their dreams and love them for the journey they take.

7. You never lose control

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked, completely surprised. “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

This one is so important. You never lose control! There are always decisions to make, always actions to take. There may be stages in our journey in life that will be difficult and that need perseverance. Stay in touch with that dream, and never ever give in to the feeling that you can’t do it. You are in control!

Posted in magic beans on Wed 2007.08.08