10 lessons from the book "The Alchemist"
1. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”
And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.
With any great risk comes great reward.
2. What is true will always endure
If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.
When you’re searching for the right decision, it will be the one that withstands the tests of time and the weight of scrutiny.
3. Break the monotony
When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day the sun rises.
There’s always a silver lining, if you look for it.
4. Embrace the present
“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
– Seneca
There’s no point dwelling in the past and letting it define you, nor getting lost and anxious about the future.
But in the present moment, you’re in the field of possibility - how you engage with the present moment will direct your life.
5. Your success has a ripple-effect
Growth, change, and evolution are weaved into the fabric of reality.
Becoming a better version of yourself creates a ripple effect that benefits everything around you: your lifestyle, your family, your friends, your community.
6. Make the decision
When someone makes a decision, they are really diving into a strong current that will carry them to places they have never dreamed of when they first made the decision.
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”
7. Be unrealistic
Some of the greatest inventions would not have happened if people chose to accept the world as it is.
Great achievements and innovations begin with a mindset that ignores the impossible.
8. Keep getting back up
The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.
Because the eighth time could be your breakthrough.
Some of the greatest novels in history were published after receiving hundreds of rejections.
9. Focus on your own journey
It’s easy to be influenced by others.
“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry.
“For there is great danger in immediately throwing out what you have not digested. For sheep don’t throw up the grass to show the shepherds how much they have eaten; but, inwardly digesting their food, they outwardly produce wool and milk. Thus, therefore, do you likewise not show theorems to the unlearned, but the actions produced by them after they have been digested.”
– Epictetus
10. Always take action
There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.
You can study, read, and listen until you turn blue in the face, but the full experience is when you take action, and let the rubber meet the road.
Once you’re done aiming, pull the trigger.