Have you heard of “The Alchemist”. You might have read this book and for those who didn’t… It’s simply a work of art. This book has sold 150 million copies and been translated into over 67 languages! (Fun Fact! It holds the Guiness World Record for the most translated book by a living author.) To Paulo Coelho, this success means more to him than fame. He achieved his dream, life’s ambition and destiny. Ironically, that’s what his book is about. Achieving your destiny. So let’s look more into why he wrote the book and his life.
Paulo’s personal life
So, Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He went to a Jesuit school and, when he was just 17, his parents thought it was a good idea to send him to a mental institution. He didn’t stay there long, though. He managed to escape three times before finally getting out for good when he was 20. Coelho later said that his parents didn’t mean any harm; they just didn’t know what else to do to help him.
After getting out, Coelho’s parents wanted him to study law, so he gave up on his dream of becoming a writer and went along with it. But that didn’t last long. After a year, he dropped out and decided to live a more free-spirited life. He traveled all over the place—South America, North Africa, Mexico, Europe—and got into the whole hippie scene.
When he got back to Brazil, Coelho started working as a songwriter, writing lyrics for some famous Brazilian singers. His work with Raul Seixas got him labeled as someone into magic and occult stuff because of the lyrics in some of their songs. Some people even accused them of copying foreign songs that weren’t well known in Brazil at the time.
In 1974, Coelho got into some trouble with the government for his “subversive” activities—his lyrics were seen as too left-wing and dangerous by the ruling military government, which had been in power for about ten years by then. He also tried his hand at acting, journalism, and directing plays before really diving into his writing career.
In 1980, Coelho married. In 1986, Coelho decided to take on the challenge of walking the over 500-mile-long Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. It was quite a journey, and along the way, something pretty profound happened to him—he had a sort of spiritual awakening. He had to pursue his life-long dream and destiny in writing.
The Plot of “The Alchemist”.
The main character is an Andulsian boy named Santiago. He dreams of treasures while in a ruined church. The dream was recurring so he consulted a Gypsy. She interprets it as a prophecy, telling the boy that he will discover a treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids.
So, after Santiago starts his journey, he meets this old king named Melchizedek, or the king of Salem, who tells him to sell his sheep and head to Egypt to fulfill his destiny. When Santiago gets to Africa, though, he gets tricked by a guy who promises to take him to the pyramids but instead steals all the money he made from selling his sheep. Santiago works for a crystal merchant to earn enough money to keep going on his journey.
After he has enough money, he continues on his journey to the pyramids. Sure, here’s a summary: Santiago meets an Englishman searching for an alchemist and travels with him. At an oasis, he falls in love with Fatima but must leave to fulfill his destiny. There he also predicts a military invasion of the Oasis and helps stop it. He then meets an alchemist who teaches him to listen to his heart and the language of the world. They travel through many military camps, and Santiago learns to become one with the “Soul of the World.” At the pyramids, he is robbed but realizes that the treasure he sought was back where his journey began. What a beautiful plot, it would take another video just to go deeper into it!
What we can learn from “The Alchemist”.
We can learn 5 main lessons from it, so I will be brief.
Fear
The fear of suffering is more painful than suffering itself said The Alchemist. It is true and Santiago struggles through many fears to achieve his destiny. Like Fear of Failure, Fear of leaving everything behind, etc.
Listen to your heart.
Despite whatever happened, Santiago decided to listen to his heart. He was told to do so by the many people he met. We too should listen to our inner callings and follow our dreams even if it changes our status quo.
Perservance
Santiago was robbed, fell in love but forced to leave it behind. robbed again when he dug for treasure yet he never gave up. The art of not-giving-up is so powerful that you will win even if the whole world is against you.
Find your learning method.
Santiago learned about the world through observation while sitting on a camel. The Englishman learnt alchemy by reading books. When they tried to switch their learning methods they both thought the other’s did not work. So find your learning method whether it be observation, reading, or experience and implement it.
It’s okay to leave things behind.
Santiago held a powerful position in the oasis and fell in love, yet he had to leave all that behind. He had faith that he could get them back after completing his destiny. We too should overcome the fear of leaving everything behind for something better or a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Here’s some of my favorite quotes from “The Alchemist”.
“It’s what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future.”
“Sometimes you have to travel a long way to find what is near.”
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.”
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
You can also watch the video version here:
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this blog.