Why Everyone Should Read The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of those books you must read in your life, at least once.

Some consider it more like a self-help guide, others like a narrative, and others as entertainment. Either way, almost everyone agrees that it is a must-read. But why?

Here I’ll share with you some reasons why The Alchemist is a must read.

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It Challenges You to Think About Your Destiny

The constant theme of The Alchemist is your personal legend. You can’t read The Alchemist

It takes you on a journey that makes you question what you are doing with your dreams. What are you doing with your life journey.

This is why many people consider it to be a self-help book because it motivates you to go after what you want.

But it doesn’t do so in a picture-perfect way. If by any means, it shows you that what matters is the journey towards our goals or treasures, and not the treasure itself.

This struck me because we can focus on our goals and future so much that we forget to grow and enjoy the journey. Sometimes when we achieve a dream, it won’t be what we were looking for, and that’s not bad because it will lead you to something else. That reminds me of the new Pixar movie Soul. I recommend you to watch it.

The message is clear. Journeys, struggles, relationships, and experiences are very much necessary to reach a high position. It is needed to go through the journey to find real value.

The Alchemist Takes You on a Travel Journey

If you love to travel or you dream of traveling, then The Alchemist is perfect for you.

You will go on a journey from the beautiful Spanish pastures to the Spanish town of Tarifa, the city of Tangier in North Africa, and the Sahara desert. And did I mentioned the Pyramids in Egypt?

This is one of the things I loved most about The Alchemist. You get to feel as you are on an adventure solo traveling all over Spain and Africa.

If you feel a desire for wanderlust, then you will identify with Santiago, whos the main character. Santiago’s dream is to travel. And in fact, he is a nomad. His father told him that only rich people and shepherds could travel, so he decided to become a shepherd.

Coelho does a beautiful job describing all of Santiago’s visits and his desire to travel and explore. So if you like traveling and have that burning desire to meet more than what you know, then you will love this book.

It will help you to overcome fear

If there’s something The Alchemist leaves you feeling after reading it, it is a small flame of confidence in yourself. You will feel unafraid of going to follow your dreams. 

As we grow up, it gets more comfortable for us to go down a secure path and forget about our dreams and goals. But why would you do that? Maybe because you have a fear of failing. But arent you failing by not living your personal legend? 

There’s a quote in The Alchemist which I love. And it says: “If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” 

It is not that you can’t be afraid or worried about your future, but letting that fear stop you from living to the fullest, that’s what’s dangerous.

The Alchemist will change your perspective of seeing your dreams and goals. If you feel like you have lost motivation, it will make you feel inspired and hopeful once again.

It touches the fear of failure and the fear of love, the fear of dreaming too much, and the fear of not being sufficient. I am sure that you can relate to at least one of those fears. 

The Alchemist Will Change Your Life

I’m not being overdramatic when I tell you that this book had a significant effect on my life. And I think it is because it is so simple, yet so beautifully written. It teaches you thousands of lessons in just a few pages. 

The lessons you learn in the Alchemist left alone should be enough reason to read this book. I just love all the quotes; they make me feel reassured when I need it. Here I’ll share a few of them.

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”

I could keep on going, but you will read the rest when you read the book. I am sure that you just wanted to keep on reading more quotes. 

The pieces of advice and lessons you learn in The Alchemist are for you to apply to your daily life. And I think that that is what makes it so unique and life-changing. 

Conclusion

The Alchemist needs to be on your 2021 reading list. It is the perfect book for beginning the year with inspiration.

But don’t worry if you don’t; there is never a wrong moment to start your personal journey. The best time to start is the time you have now. Don’t waste your energy thinking about what you could have done in the past. 

You need to read The Alchemist. And if you can apply what you learn in this book to your life, I promise you that you will be happier, healthier, and eager.

I give this book 5 stars