A Life of Design - Lessons from The Alchemist

To realise one's destiny is a person's only obligation"  The Alchemist


Alchemists are the magical medieval cooks of ancient traditions who transformed metal into gold and silver.

But for many of us, the book, The Alchemist written by the Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho is a simple novel with the important message of the transforming power of our dreams and to listening to our hearts. The book is a quick read that will inspire you to pursue your life’s purpose.    

This is the story of Santiago, the Andalucian shepherd boy, and in the pursuit of his dreams, Santiago has a strong message to each and everyone of us on achieving our own destinies.

It is Monday morning and my ritual is to write my blog post and capture the thoughts that have been running madly through my mind and with the sole purpose of how to unlock your best future. The posts are centred on how to design your life, find your treasure, live your legend. I love Mondays and each post is my lesson.  I purchased The Alchemist back in the nineties and my first read puzzled me with it's metaphors and insights. I go back to this book and it continues to delight and teach me.  The Alchemist stirred me to understand more about following one's heart and is the reason why I encourage you to design your life, find your treasure and live your legend.

There are 3 quotes from the Alchemist that have spoken to me and I want to share....there are more, but I hope you find yours when you read The Alchemist.

"What's the world's greatest lie?"  "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". p20 The Alchemist'

When did we start believing that it is fate that determines our life and shapes our destiny?

As a child everything is clear and possible, you are not afraid to dream and ask and believe.
The persuasion of conforming and what is expected of you dulls the dream and doubt leads you to believe that fate is in control.

When you wake up to this lie, you know it is more than possible to have a destiny and purpose.

"When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it" .p64 The Alchemist

Let this sink in.  Be more aware of your intuition and your inner voice. When you listen to your heart, you are less likely to listen to your fears.  You may not always know what you want, it can be a difficult question.  It is difficult when you have spent your time listening to others, to the media, to what others expect of you and it requires a shift to listen to your heart, to be still and listen when you ask yourself the question, 'What do I want to bring to life?"

"He was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision".  p 70 The Alchemist

This I love. Making the dream a reality through your decisions. Go after what you were meant to do and abundance and success are a part of your life.

Self determination is your strongest and most attractive quality.

 “It’s true; life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny the boy thought.”