Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Pages: 241

Reviewers: Beatrice Ani and Imani Dokubo

The Alchemist tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who finds out from a king about his treasure lying in the basement of the faraway Egyptian pyramids. Along the way, he learns to listen to his heart and more importantly realizes that his dreams/Personal Legend are not just his but part of the Soul of the Universe. The novel is both entertaining and educational.

The author’s portrayal of real-life principles in simple terms that are easy to recognize and connect with is a highlight.

Just like the young shepherd, most of us are on a journey to find our ‘personal legend’, some of us have, and some are already depositing our unique legend to the world.

Where ever you are on your journey, the lessons from this book are beneficial to you.

Some notable eye-opening lessons the book captures are:

1.The power of courage: Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself and that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is an encounter with God and the universe.”

The power of truth: “Truth cannot be veiled by smoke and mirrors — it will always stand firm. When you’re searching for the ‘right’ decision, it will be the one that withstands the tests of time and the weight of scrutiny”

The power of gratitude: “Gratitude is the practice of finding the good in each day. Life can easily become stagnant, mundane, and monotonous, but that changes depending on what we choose to see. There’s always a silver lining if you look for it.”

The power of decision: “When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

The power of focus: “It’s easy to be influenced by others, but you’ll be miserable if you end up living someone else’s life. There’s nothing wrong with taking advice and learning from others, but make sure it aligns with your desires and passions.”

The power of action: “There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.”

(You can study, read, and listen until you turn blue in the face, but the full experience is when you take action and let the rubber meet the road… Once you’re done aiming, pull the trigger.)

Here’s what the book suggests: when you seek to create something, things will eventually fall in place to enable you to bring it to life.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. It’s just crucial that we undertake the journey to making the most of the life that God gives us. Or, as Jesus’s parable says, to use our talents to the fullest.

What phase of life’s journey are you on?

We recommend this book to everyone in search of a formula for reaching their goals, discover, and realize their potential.