The Alchemist

I stepped away from my typical book choice and went a little off the board with The Alchemist. It was one of the most recommended books from Tim Ferris’s Tools of Titans, so I was intrigued.

It’s a simple easy read which I liked. I flew through it in a few days. It was nice to read a “storey” again, if you know what I mean. The storey of Santiago, a boy on a quest for his personal legend. This book has so many stories and life lessons weaved throughout that you can sometimes miss the meaning. Here are a few I took away from this master piece from Paulo Coelho. No wonder it’s one of the most popular books ever written.

Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”

This one is so good. How many times have you freaked out for a few days about something and when it finally came to pass, it was nothing? This one is very relatable for me.

Success has a ripple effect.

“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

I love this quote. I’m a huge believer in self development and I’ve seen this come to fruition. Do good things and good things will happen.

Always take action.

“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.”

Planning and studying can only take you so far. I can’t remember where I heard this but I use it a lot and it relates, “just start!”.