Yesterday I received a recommendation to read the book The Alchemist and without giving it much thought I downloaded the eBook to my iPhone and began reading it during the day it took me about 5 hours to complete and It was well worth skipping watching series or football for a change. It reminded me of plenty of ideologies I've held near and dear to me over the past 3 years and only reiterated the fact that I've discovered what my "Personal Legend" (what you want to achieve in life) is and how following that path may not be an easy one but a worthwhile one.
This is my first book review so bare with me. This book isn't very long around 140 or so pages and this reivew won't be that long as not to give up too much of the story and ruin it for those who want to read it for themselves.
Summary of the story
Paulo Coelho's bestseller tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams
My personal take on the book
While I wouldn't go as far as to say its a masterpiece of the best book I've ever read, I found it reasonably entertaining and a different style of storytelling that I'm used to. The messaging though told in a roundabout way through the experiences of the fictional Sheppard Santiago still leaves a powerful message behind for those who follow his journey.
The story basically gives you his take and a guide on how to achieve success in life. It is to look within yourself and listen to your inner and deepest desires, the one thing you feel will have your content and lead a life of fulfilment. Once you've decided on what it is you aim to achieve in life (aka your personal legend) the first few steps are easy and the universe sends you signs (or omens as its referred to in the book) to get you going, a sort of beginners luck and encourage you on your path.
Once you've taken the first steps it begins to get a whole lot tougher and hard lessons need to be learned, lessons that people tend to ignore and is the reason why they never fulfil their lives mission. The young Boy Santiago learns that the road to success is littered with insight but also with pain, hardship, failure and only with perseverance and a willingness to learn can you achieve your true greatness.
Lessons from the book
The book uses several anecdotes by either interaction with people or with the elements to illustrate the lessons we need to learn in order to grow as a person and follow the path to success.
- Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself
- What is “true” will always endure
- Don't get too comfortable and set in your ways
- Break the monotony
- Embrace the present
- Your success has a ripple-effect
- Be decisive
- Be unrealistic
- Keep getting back up
- Focus on your own journey
- Always take action
If any of those lessons listed above appeal to you or you feel its something in your life that you struggle with then alchemy is a great way to kick start that fire inside you and help you see where you've strayed off your path. While I do prefer a more technical approach when exploring these kinds of topics I can see why Paulo's book sold so many copies, it takes the concept of success and applies it to life, love, religion and pursuit of happiness in a way that most people will gravitate to easily enough.
Must read? Yes or No?
It's a simple story that I'm sure has been told throughout the ages and will continue to be told for generations to come. The lessons are put down in simple English and concepts are explored on a surface level as not to exclude or overcomplicate things. I highly recommend this as a book you should read even if you're not struggling with your path to success.
Have your say
Have you read The Alchemist? What did you think of the book? Do you have any recommendations on books I should check out? Have you anything else by Paulo Coelho? Let me know in the comments section below.
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