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If you’d prefer to read the script instead of watching the video, here it is:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho’s bestselling book has sold over 65 million copies and translated into more than 56 languages.

The Premise Of The Book

The underlying principle in Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist, is a dedicated desire to work towards your aims.”

The book tells the story of Santiago, a young shepherd boy who sets out on a personal quest to Egypt to find his “personal legend.” As he ventures out on his quest for personal greatness, the journey fast becomes an adventure full of challenges and obstacles the shepherd boy must face and triumph over if he is to attain his personal legend/greatness.

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

Paulo Coelho

The Protagonist in the Alchemist is very relatable.

Here are the main lessons learned from reading and implementing the principles taught in the Alchemist:

Lesson 1: Pursue The Desires Of Your Heart And Soul

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Paulo Coelho

Most of us spend our lives waiting for the right time to act. Well, the right time to act is right now. If you fail to take consistent action towards your purpose, your utmost aim, you will never achieve your desire because there is no right time; life will always get in the way. Pursuing your heart’s desire with some urgency is the most significant lesson taught in Paulo Coelho’s book The Alchemist.

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

Paulo Coelho

According to The Alchemist, when you are not pursuing your desires, following your dreams, or doing what you were put on this earth to do, the chances of fulfilling your personal legend are slim to none.

In each of us lies a seed of passion: the passion to experience certain things, to do certain things, and to live life a certain way. If you are not following your heart, if you are not listening to it and answering to its call, you are keeping yourself from living the best life possible.

Lesson 2: Accept Failure As Part Of The Process/Journey

Fear of failure is very relatable, something we have all experienced at one point or the other. Our personal legend, what we want to do or achieve with our lives, manifests in the form of a grand goal or vision. When you allow the fear of failure to take root in your spirit, it keeps you from pursuing and achieving your personal legend.

Do not let fear of failure keep you from pursuing and achieving your dreams and aims. As Coelho notes:

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

Paulo Coelho

Constantly remind yourself of where you are right now, where you want to go, and why it is important that you get there. When you do this, when you are consistently working to better your life and yourself, the universe will conspire to help you actualize and achieve your dreams:

“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 a second's encounter with God and with eternity.”

Paulo Coelho

Always remind yourself that everything worth having has a price. Are you willing to pay that price? Only those who are willing to pay the price, to risk it all, to act in the face of fear of failure, achieve their aims and dreams.

Always listen to your heart, to the dream it holds dear and near, and then actively dedicate your daily life to pursuing your dream. The universe will reward you immensely.

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

Paulo Coelho

Lesson 3: Take Consistent Action; It Is Secret To All Learning

Tony Robbins is fond of saying, “knowledge is not power. It is potential power. Execution will trump knowledge any day.”

If you are not taking action towards fulfilling your personal legend, you will never fulfill it no matter how much you learn or know. Action is the secret sauce to all forms of success.

“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.”

Paulo Coelho

The importance of taking consistent action towards the fulfillment of your dreams is one of the most important lessons gleaned from reading and implementing the principles taught in The Alchemist.

True to this, you can study as much as you want, and seek advice from the best the world has ever known, but if you are not taking action, if you are aiming but not pulling the trigger, yours will be a case of unexploited potential, which you do not want. You do not want to go to the grave with your potential still unfulfilled; the regret is just too painful.

Conclusion

Discover your purpose and actively pursue it every day. That is the only way to achieve personal greatness.

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcQjBghtxMU

I've made over 80 summaries of the best self improvement books, here’s a full playlist of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOImyOGN9UE&list=PLaNTB6oQAa0AYuul0tqUscg1ZLj_arZga

I release a new video every other day, if you’re interested in subscribing here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfbLDMh6uGOZePAfqqjVZ-g?sub_confirmation=1