Lessons From The Alchemist

Yeah, it's mid-July, and I've completed my first novel of 2023, a masterpiece by Paulo Coelho published in 1988 named "The Alchemist." This fictional novel revolves around the story of a young shepherd named Santiago from Andalusia, Spain, who has a recurring dream of a hidden treasure under the pyramids in Egypt and starts his journey to Egypt in pursuit of the same. His journey in pursuit of his dream presents us with some important life-transforming lessons.

1. Follow Your Dreams and Listen to Your Heart: The most important thing the story tries to tell us is to follow our dreams and listen to the call of our hearts. As Santiago followed his dream and listened to his heart's desires, he was successful in finding the treasure. Despite the numerous obstacles that came his way during the journey, he never gave up on his dream.
2. Be Passionate: From the beginning of the story, we see Santiago always following his passion and never settling for a life that seemed comfortable but was not interesting to him. He chose to be a shepherd over a comfortable life because he enjoyed freedom and wanted to explore new places and meet new people. He again gave up his flock of sheep in pursuit of his dream of hidden treasure.
3. Embrace the Journey: The journey is always more beautiful than the destination. The story tells us to embrace the journey and indulge in self-discovery in pursuit of our dreams. The journey towards achieving his dream transformed Santiago as a person and provided him with many important life lessons. The treasure was already in the church in Andalusia, but the journey of Santiago to Egypt was important to transform his personality.
4. Recognize and Interpret Signs from the Universe: In this universe, everything is interconnected. We should learn to recognize and interpret the signs that the universe provides us and try to act accordingly to achieve our dreams. During the entire story, the universe provided Santiago with various signs and omens that helped him reach his destination.
5. Live in the Present Moment: It tells us to stay in the present moment and recognize the opportunities and purpose of the present moment. Living in the present, learning from experiences, and working towards achieving your dream are one of the main perspectives given by the story.
6. Destiny and True Love: The story throws light on the thought that true love is always found by destiny. It was Santiago's destiny that led him to his true love, Fahtima, during his journey through the desert. It tells us that true love never tries to stop a person from achieving their dream; rather, it motivates and supports them the same. This is seen when Fahtima asked Santiago to go in search of his treasure, and she would wait for his return.

Hence, the central theme of the book is that every person has a unique purpose or destiny, and it's their choice to follow their heart and chase their dream. Santiago's journey is a metaphor for the journey of self-discovery and personal growth, and the obstacles he faces represent the challenges we all face in pursuing our goals. It motivates the reader to listen to their heart and follow their dreams even if the path looks uncertain and quite challenging.