Hey Everyone! As I mentioned in a previous post, The Alchemist is the book of the week. Today we'll talk about Personal Legends and why you should chase after your dreams, not run from them. This post ran a bit long, so I decided to chop into 2 separate posts and make a part one and part two. Part two will be posted later today, stay tuned!
Current Book & Quotes From: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Your Personal Legend
The Alchemist follows the story of a young shepherd boy who meets with a king who convinces him to follow his Personal Legend of finding a mysterious treasure near the Egyptian Pyramids. The boy is far from having the means to chase after this dream, but the King convinces him to go for it.
Along the way, the boy meets a lot of hurdles and obstacles that seem to push him farther and farther away from his dream, but he reminds himself:
"When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you."
After you figure out what your Personal Legend may be - to travel the world, to meet the right person, to be an entrepreneur, to live the "good life" as you define it - you'll need the courage to actually chase it. Few people have the courage to do so, but this quote really resonates with me - if you want it bad enough and you're willing to do whatever it takes, the universe will conspire to help you achieve it.
Don't Be Afraid to Venture Into the Unknown
There is an epidemic in our world - people are afraid of the unknown. They don't like what they don't know and this holds them back from chasing after their dreams. You need to get over these feelings. The hero in our story makes a great realization about learning from unexpected and new experiences:
“There had been a time when he thought that his sheep could teach him everything he needed to know about the world. But they could never have taught him Arabic. There are probably other things in the world that the sheep can’t teach me, thought the boy as he regarded the old merchant. All they ever do, really, is look for food and water. And maybe it wasn’t that they were teaching me, but that I was learning from them.”
Why Not?
Aside from venturing into the unknown, many people are afraid of what will happen to them if they fail. They want to choose the "safe route" in life and avoid losing the comfort that they have found in their lives. That's why many people lose sight of their Personal Legend as they age - they get comfortable with their lifestyle and don't want to risk losing it.
“I know why I want to get back to my flock, he thought. I understand sheep; they’re no longer a problem, and they can be good friends. On the other hand, I don’t know if the desert can be a friend, and it’s in the desert that I have to search for my treasure. If I don’t find it, I can always go home. I finally have enough money, and all the time I need. Why not?
He suddenly felt tremendously happy. He could always go back to being a shepherd. He could always become a crystal salesman again. Maybe the world had other hidden treasures, but he had a dream, and he had met with a king. That doesn’t happen to just anyone!”
Again, our hero realizes this and he also realizes something very important - you can always go back. If all else fails, what's stopping you from just returning to the life of "comfort" that you have known? You have all the skills and all the knowledge you need to go back to your previous "profession" or lifestyle. The way I see it, the pursuit of your Personal Legend puts you in the position of having everything to gain and not much -if anything at all - to lose.
Stay tuned for part 2 of why you should follow your personal legend and what it takes to embark on your own journey towards achieving it! Don't forget about the Question of the Day!!!
Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!
QOTD: What's Your Personal Legend? Are you working towards it or slowly letting your dreams fade away?
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts below and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!
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This is a really well written post. I haven't read the Alchemist yet so wasn't sure how to respond. Now that I think of it I do remember when this book came out some years ago people were talking about it. Your perspective on the book is very helpful to us:
The boy in the story had his Personal Legend of finding a mysterious treasure near the Egyptian Pyramids.
I cannot say that I have a personal legend so refined. I'm not sure how much influence we have in actually choosing our own personal legend.
I will share something I learned today. I have been posting in Groovy school to engage learning but sometimes I get it wrong. Posts that come natural even though I wrote them quickly get lots of response but posts I struggle a lot to make don't get much response. In life it is the same. Things that are natural to me are abundantly fruitful.
The question is: "What are you doing here?" We have our set up and in the 21st century this set up has more potential than ever but what is the punch line? So what if I am rich or famous? What am I doing here? What personal legend can I dare make?
You quoted this from the book:
This is true when what you want is in line with the "universe" and who am I to say what this is or isn't without trying. You may hold on to your personal legend and experience the biggest failure and suffering and the "universe" may be content with that. The "universe" is not obliged to help you but the other way around.
So I agree with the point that we all need direction and identity but we cannot make a personal legend. The boy thought he can go back to his sheep... that is not always the case for us. After years of chasing our personal legend the sheep are gone. Taking care of the sheep is menial labour but in many cases it is through this menial task that the universe is magnified.
It wouldn't be the same book if the boy stayed with the sheep to learn the secrets of the universe by living with unthankful selfish creatures to chase his dream driven by hubris and greed and inspired by a rich king.
Thanks @mineopoly! I definitely recommend it, the book has been amazing so far! I agree and in the book, the boy begins having dreams of reaching the Pyramids. His personal legend wasn't necessarily a choice, but more of an obligation for him to seek more in his life and venture out into the unknown.
I also find the same thing to be true - the post that I end up writing quickly but passionately and in a "flow state" so to speak, are the ones that typically get the best response.
I think this quote "When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you." signifies the value of hard work, purpose and consistency. When you want something and you do whatever it takes to make it a reality, you will find opportunities flowing in from all over the place. Those opportunities are always there, but it takes a certain mindset to be able to sniff them out and be present enough to notice them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts @mineopoly, you make some great points!
I really have to read the book now. Checking for it at this moment. You also are amazingly articulate. @khaleelkazi is honestly among the top 3 most influential people to me on Steemit. I just got the book. It is important to note this is the King of Salem that has great spiritual significance in the book of Genesis and Hebrews.
Can't wait for the part 2 of this book review , looks like an interesting book to read. I am not really a fan of reading books but I think I will go find this one and Try it out.
Talking about following my legend. I am quite a stubborn young man. I don't let things defeat me easily. My body might seem weak but deep down I try to motivate myself as much as possible to move on and that motivation actually keeps me going.
Thanks for reading @sistem! Part 2 is coming soon! It is a very good read and I recommend you check it out!
That's great to hear! Persistence is essential on the road to success! What do you think your personal legend is?
Towards the beginning of this year, I just finish university and was trying to find a place for myself in the management consulting world. I needed something to do so I considered taking a taxi on the road. When I discuss this with one of my good friend he was like 'James, what happened? A taxi? You gonna end up like all this taxi men? '
I looked at him and told him something. It was in line with what you said.
I know what I want. I know what is a journey and what is a destination. I will never allow myself to break. Thereby accepting a path to be a destination.
Much thanks @khaleelkazi. Waiting for the part 2
That's a great story @lordjames!! The journey is more rewarding than the destination and so many people grow far too comfortable with the lives they lead and they never strive out into the unknown! Thanks for sharing!
How many books do you typically read/ finish in a month @khaleelkazi ?
I typically read 1 book a week @koldy, sometimes 2 depending on length.
Lol 1 book a week and 1 book a month are both great and well beyond the average person!
That's pretty good, I'm trying to get to one book a month. Would be happy if I could do that lol.
waww.. an interesting story, is this a true story or fiction?
I could imagine the events in your story!!
very amazing. i am will wait the next post
This story is from The Alchemist! Have you read it?
I have read it. Great book, loving these notes!
not @khaleelkazi.
Thanks for your valuable and informative post.
We can gather a lot of information by your post.
By dint of we can increase our skill that is beneficial for all steemians.
I will always visit your site & wait for your upcoming post.
I feel like this post is 100% true people are just the way they are for some reason. They get stuck in there ways and get use to it and thats how they stay. Thank you for your time on this post it was great to read and god speed.
Every dreamer has his personal legend. The only thing is to wake it upo and follow it to the dreams despite of threats. Great post @khaleelkazi
I really love your post . Thanks for sharing
Thanks @dtwo, what was your favorite part about the post?
My favorite part is your stress on the importance of the journey! It's the part that really matters!
Fear of the unknown is what keeps people from achieving something great. Leaving your comfort zone is probably one of the most important things to do if you want to grow as a person and achieve something in life! Each time you leave your comfort zone, you're in the "unknown" and you can learn something new every time.
realy nice post.Excellent move. I always see your post and follow you dear
Thanks! What did you like most about the post?
The quest for your personal legend! It's an honorable and vital journey!
Just like cryptocurrencies xD
I loved this part of the book, it was when he arrived in the africa right? I still remember it! It helped me a lot getting into cryptos and trying new things, it's like riding a bicycle, if you have done it once you can always go back and do it again because you already know everything you need to know
Studying to become a veterinary and trying to invest to become financial independent, if i happen to have enough money i want to start some companies like elon musk did and try to help "save" the world, like he is doing with electric cars, and solar roofs,etc... i want my name to echo throughout history!
This is what I need to remind myself of!
QOTD: My personal legend is to make a living helping people overcome some of the struggles we find in life. I'm hoping to incorporate aspects of spirituality, diet and exercise, and mindset. I'm looking to have a clear gameplan by end of march, been working on it recently :)
I should revisit this book too, great choices to highlight
I'm working on so many things but currently the main personal one would be my F&B venture the past 5 years.
So to QOTD..... I'm working on it but at the same time feel it slowly fading away... haha... I'm just hanging on by a thread and just being faithful to the dream. Let's see what this next few month brings :)
Interesting