02 Aug 4 Life Lessons I Learned From The Alchemist
Here at Bold Curiosity HQ, we love reading books that challenge us, teach us valuable lessons and help us grow into bolder and more curious versions of ourselves. Recently our graphic designer, Chandre, re-read one of her favourite books, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and was reminded of some lessons the book teaches the reader. Here she shares 4 lessons she learned while reading the book.
Pursue your “Personal Legend”
The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago a young shepherd boy who embarks on a journey to find his “personal legend”. We all have a personal legend. Whether it’s a dream you wanted to pursue as a child, the hopes you have as an adult or something you believe you should be dedicating yourself to, a personal legend is your destiny in this life. When Santiago meets the King of Salem, the king tells him that a personal legend is “what you have always wanted to accomplish”. Perhaps as children, the voice of our personal legend was louder and more precise but as time went on and the stressors of life weigh on us, the voice that pushes us can become quieter and sometimes feel silent.
In the last few years, like many people, I’ve gone through personal struggles. Things like doubt. insecurities and impostor syndrome can make you feel as if your dreams are not meant for you but I’m learning that obstacles and challenges are not meant to be ends in your journey but perhaps are just stumbling blocks that you can and will overcome. In the book, Santiago is faced with challenge after challenge but he learns to overcome those hurdles and find his personal legend in the firm belief in himself and that all will work out as it should.
Don’t let fear hold you back
Fear has held me back many a time. I’ve feared failure, judgement, wasting time, not having enough time, the unknown and even feared success but the thing is these fears were just in my head not in my lived reality, so why was I letting something basically imagined hold me back? In the book, Santiago faced fears both imagined and in reality that had him questioning his purpose and whether he had made the right decision. But he soon remembers his personal legend and continues on his journey because fear should never be greater than your goals and dreams for yourself.
Failure is part of the success
No one likes the thought of failure or failing but failure does not have to be the end of your trying or goals. There is a quote by Mickey Rooney that says, “You always pass failure on your way to success.”, it is often only through failure that we can see our mistakes and where we can improve. Does failure hurt? Definitely. But just like overcoming your challenges, you can move past your fear of failure or as I have done many times, do things even when they scare you. You don’t have to be 100% brave to do things, you just have to bet on yourself and be bold enough to step out, trusting that you can do it.
Your journey is just that, yours
We live in a highly comparable and competitive world. You scroll through social media and can be instantly met with people who have more than you and appear to be more ‘successful’ than you. And that can often leave us feeling demotivated about our circumstances or feeling as if we are not good enough to pursue our dreams as we don’t have X, Y and Z. But social media and even comparing yourself to people in your own life will rob you of your of the uniqueness and joy in your journey. Someone may be on their chapter 20 while you’re starting all over again and that’s okay, we all learn and do things at our own pace and we don’t have to meet the goalposts set up by others. Just like Santiago eventually became unbothered by the opinions of others and overcame his challenges and embraced his destiny, you too can focus your attention on your hopes, dreams and aspirations because you deserve, as Celeste says, to step and walk in your power.
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