Becoming an Alchemist

So I finished the book (finally). Yes! The Alchemist is done! Whew! So I guess this is the part where I share my learnings with you? Ok… First and foremost, whether you know it or not, each of us has a purpose. Each of us at some point in life have seen a glimpse of our purpose…or main goal…our reason for being. Some people know theirs right away as a child, and others may not discover theirs until late in adulthood. Then there are some that will die believing that no such purpose was ever revealed to them. The Alchemist says that’s an untruth. The book straight up says that’s not possible. The book says that there are some that will discover their purpose and will move quickly to do what needs to be done to achieve it. Others will get a taste of their purpose and because of fear they will never take the first step toward accomplishing it. The book says there is no worse way to die than the death of one that knew his/her purpose but never lifted a hand to work toward it, so the universe does what it can to give that person some semblance of a happy existence. Over time thoughts of other things will crowd the vision of this person’s purpose so much so that they forget their purpose altogether. The universe has done this so that this person doesn’t have to live with the torment of failure and unaccomplishment. So, yes, they may actually begin to believe that their purpose was never revealed to them – it’s a complete lie, but this lie is actually a gift from the universe so that this person can exist without hating themselves.

For the others – the ones that go for it? For those of us that make the deliberate choice to achieve our purpose we need to be ready and prepared to go to hell and back. The victory will be sweet, but it won’t come without its fair share of tests, battles, and seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome. The book states: “…before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up.”

Jonathan was right. This was just what the doctor ordered. Just the reminder that I needed. Definitely a perfect dose of clarity. So I don’t know about you, but I’m about to be an alchemist.

The book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.