“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
5:00 AM. The alarm rings. I pull the blinders forward with two fingers and peer outside. It’s there. I get up, stumble into the bathroom and throw some cold water into my face.
Then, I open the back door right in front of my room and step outside. The wind is freezing, but it’s worth it. Ahh, the sunrise. Across the parking lot, the sky is glowing. The clouds are deep red.
After gazing at it for a couple of minutes, I go inside again, right back to bed. I pull out my iPad and start to read.
None of what the old man was saying made much sense to the boy. But he wanted to know what the “mysterious force” was; the merchant’s daughter would be impressed when he told her about that!
“It’s a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”
“Even when all you want to do is travel? Or marry the daughter of a textile merchant?”
“Yes, or even search for treasure. The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
They were both silent for a time, observing the plaza and the townspeople.
I don’t know why The Alchemist found me when he did. Maybe it was because for the first time, next to school work, I actually had time left to think. Maybe it was because I’d finally gotten sick of the partying, the empty pursuit of owning things, the meaningless distractions. Or maybe it was because at 22, I admitted to myself that I had no idea what I wanted for the first time.
Regardless, it was the story I needed when I needed a new story the most. That’s all self-help is, really. Story.
Every day when you wake up, you tell yourself a story. A story of why you’re compelled to do what you’re going to do that day.
And sometimes, the thread that runs through the story runs out. When that happens, you need a new story. The reason The Alchemist is such a great one is that it’s not just a new thread you can hang on to. It’s a prompt to weave your own. To trust the story that’s already inside you. And to believe it has value.
I don’t know how or when exactly it happened, but somewhere around the time I read this book, I threw the plan I had been given out the window. I didn’t know I would be a writer, and to this day, my story continues to change. But I’ve been weaving the thread ever since.
The Alchemist is the most empowering book I know. And if taking your power back isn’t self-help, I don’t know what is.
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”