Learning While you Drive
Since I drive approximately 700 miles each week, I spend a lot of time in my car.
While I like listening to music and chatting with friends while on my bluetooth, I find that I feel like my commuting time is a waste of time if I don’t do something more productive.
As a result, I am a voracious listener of audiobooks and podcasts. I love to learn, and I am grateful for the diverse assortment of podcasts on iTunes, along with the wonderful array of books available through my Audible subscription.
Books expand our horizons, entertaining us and/or teaching us lessons. Many of the podcasts available do the same.
The Alchemist
Recently, I found a book that both taught and reinforced some important life lessons. It was Paulo’s Coehlo’s book, The Alchemist.
Interestingly, The Alchemist was on my radar screen for awhile. But, for some reason, I had resisted starting the book.
I knew that it was an award winning book. Many of my friends highly recommended it.
But, for some unknown reason, I still resisted; it was a fiction book, and I generally prefer non-fiction. In addition,when I had tried to listen to the book in the past, I felt that the story started out a bit oddly. So, I had frequently abandoned the book for something else.
But, this universe continually placed this book on my radar screen, just as it does for so many things that I am meant to experience,. I heard people quoting lines from the book, it ended up in my Amazon recommendations, etc.. So, last month, I decided to acknowledge the “pokes” from the universe and read it. I’m so glad that I did.
The Alchemist tells the story of a Shepard boy named Santiago, who is driven to pursue his dream of seeing the pyramids in Egypt. During the story, Santiago stays true to the pursuit of his dream, even though he is faced with many reasons to pursue an alternate path.
Lessons from The Alchemist
Personally, I took several big lessons from the book. They are:
- We all have a “personal legend,” something that is our mission here on earth. Sometimes, we give up on our dream because we are afraid to pursue it, or feel that it is trivial. However, we must always remember that each of us is here to fulfill our personal legend.
- We have to listen to our hearts because God (or whatever you believe your higher power to be.) has put the desire in you heart. Failing to listen to the messages of your heart will simply result in heartache.
- It is never too late to pursue our dreams and mission; we are capable of pursuing it at any point in our lives. (For instance, did you know that Colonel Sanders didn’t start KFC until he was age 65? Or, that a 70 year old woman had her first child born this year?)
- The universe is constantly giving us signs to help us work towards our dreams; however, we all have to look for the signs and “listen” to them when they appear. Sometimes the signs are subtle, such as a picture that appears everywhere that you go; other times, the signs are blatantly obvious, like when a person actually appears in front of you delivering you an actual message.
- The road to our dreams is not usually a straight and clear road; the road is often full of detours and entanglements. However, if you forge forward and keep moving towards the destination, instead of viewing these roadblocks as impenetrable barriers, you can eventually get to the destination you desire.
- Often times, the path that you took will only become clear when you reach your destination. For instance, at the end of The Alchemist, Santiago reflects on the people and experiences that he would not have encountered if his path to his dream followed the smooth and trouble-free path that he envisioned when embarking on his journey to pursue his personal legend.
- Never, ever, ever give up. The time that most people give up is just before the time that something wonderful is about to occur.
When You Find Something that Inspires You, Share it with a Friend
I highly recommend reading the book as it is a parable for life. In fact, I read the book again immediately after I finished, in order to reinforce some of the messages.
I also sent the book as a gift to a friend of mine who is experiencing several “life challenges” right now. Of course, never having heard of the book, he wondered why I would send him this book in the mail. I simply told him that I enjoyed it and thought that it might be relevant for him right now. I warned him that it was a bit “odd” at first, but worth the read.
Of course, I hoped the book would remind him of all the lessons above, and that he should not get too discouraged while dealing with his current situation.
And, I hope the same for you if you are having trouble realizing the path to your goals and dreams. 🙂
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