When you’re looking for a book on self-improvement, the fiction section isn’t usually your first stop.
Oddly enough, these books hold some of the most valuable pieces of wisdom you can apply to your life.
Today’s episode doesn’t feature a guest. Instead, we’re going to dive into six life lessons from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
The Alchemist is a story about a shepherd boy named Santiago, who leaves everything behind and embarks on a journey to the Egyptian Pyramids to find a treasure that he’s been repeatedly dreaming about. Along the way, he meets friends and mentors, and learns what matters to him most.
1. [0:41] “When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you.”
At first glance, this quote seems like it’s about manifestation and setting your intentions. While there are varying opinions on the benefits of manifesting and affirmations, there is no denying the power of committing to something.
Let’s say you decide to become a real estate agent. At first, you’re stressed because you don’t have any clients and aren’t sure when you’ll close your first deal.
As you show up to more events, make new friendships, and show people you actually care, people start to associate you with buying a home. The word spreads about your business.
It’s easy to see how the universe is now working in your favor.
Put good work out consistently, and watch it come back to you in multiples.
2. [1:38] "Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is… But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend."
In the book, Paulo describes your Personal Legend as how you find fulfillment. It’s about pursuing the things you’re curious about.
According to Paulo, those who ignore their Personal Legends never find true fulfillment.
When you’re young, you dream big and have no limiting beliefs. You want to be an astronaut, so you’ll be an astronaut.
But as you get older, limiting beliefs from your environment, or mysterious forces, take over and talk you out of doing what you want.
To me, this lesson is all about having fun.
If you really chase after things that make you feel fulfilled, you won’t have any regrets later on.
3. [2:37] "What people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own Personal Legends."
In the book, shepherds and bakers are seen as the lowest hanging fruit on the tree of careers.
Some people don’t care for fancy things and just want to see the world, so they become shepherds.
Others are passionate about food, so they become bakers.
This lesson relates to the one before it and is really simple — don’t let other people’s opinions talk you out of doing what you want to do.
We get too caught up in keeping up with the Joneses, living out someone else’s desires instead of our own.
Don’t do that. It’s dumb and you definitely won’t be fulfilled doing it.
4. [3:27] "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."
This one is abstract and hard to understand without having read the book, so let me give you some context:
A boy asks a wise man to explain the secret of happiness to him. The wise man says he doesn’t have time, but to walk around the palace they’re in and come back in two hours.
The catch is that the boy has to carry around a teaspoon with two drops of oil in it, without spilling the oil for the full two hours.
The boy returns after two hours, but can’t answer any of the detailed questions the wise man asks him about the interior of the palace. He has to go do it again.
The boy returns again, having paid complete attention to detailed interior of the palace this time, but has spilled all the oil out of the teaspoon since he wasn’t paying attention to it.
Lesson being — life is all about finding balance. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. My definition of balance might be totally different from yours.
You can’t only have leisure time, and you can’t only have work time.
You can’t always indulge, and you can’t always be restrictive.
Find what works for you. That’s the secret to happiness.
5. [4:52] "Silence held the answers to his questions."
Wake up to a chaotic alarm. Rush out the door.
Headphones on, music blasting.
Spend your day reacting to emails.
Meet up with friends for dinner, then head back home with your headphones in again.
Scroll through social media before bed.
Notice how we rarely schedule any time to be alone with our thoughts?
If you’re constantly being reactive, when do you actually have time to think?
Paulo was spot on with this one — give your brain time to just do its thing.
6. [5:37] “There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action.”
There are obvious benefits to reading — concentration, focus, general knowledge. But no one ever became an expert by just reading.
Can you imagine if you had to play the guitar for an audience by just reading a book on how to play the guitar?
You need to get your hands dirty and just play the damn guitar!
Books are great for mindset and preparation, but very little learning happens without actively doing something.
As the old saying goes: “you can’t swim without getting wet.”
Thanks for listening. See you on the next episode of The Principle Podcast.
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