The Alchemist" is a book written by Paulo Coelho that tells the story of Santiago, a young shepherd from Andalusia, who sets out on a journey to fulfill his dreams of finding a treasure hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. Along the way, Santiago encounters various characters and experiences that shape his understanding of life and purpose. This is a powerful, powerful book. One that personally sewed the seeds for kickstarting my own wellness journey.
The book is a tale about following your own personal legend, whatever thee fuck that means to you. For many of us when we struggle, it is very difficult to see what our personal legend is. In my work I ask every student who is struggling “what is their purpose?” and to this day “I don’t know” is by far the number one answer. Another trap we as humans tend to fall into is forgoing our dreams and doing what others think we should do. I worked as a retail manager for many years. I can say from the depths of my soul that I knew that job was not right for me. I can also say that the universe knew that I was not following my own personal legend. In that time of doing everything I thought I was supposed to be doing, I managed to destroy everything in my life. All of my relationships, all of my support, and all of my finances. I allowed fear, ego, and society control my every thought and in the end I had to walk away to find myself. So, finding out what our personal legend is should be a driving factor in our lives.
Here is a practice to help with that
Take some time to reflect on your life: Find a quiet place where you can sit down and reflect on your life. Think about your experiences, your strengths, your weaknesses, your successes, and your failures. Write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal.
Identify your passions: Think about the things that make you happy and fulfilled. What activities do you enjoy doing? What topics do you love learning about? Make a list of your passions.
Clarify your values: Your personal legend should align with your values. Think about what you believe in and what is important to you. Make a list of your values.
Set your goals: Your personal legend is your ultimate goal in life. Think about what you want to achieve, what impact you want to make in the world, and what legacy you want to leave behind. Write down your goals.
Take action: Once you have identified your passions, values, and goals, it's time to take action. Start small by taking one step at a time towards your personal legend. Stay focused, be persistent, and never give up on your dreams.
"The Alchemist" is a beautiful tale about the power of following one's dreams, listening to one's heart, and believing in oneself. Paulo Coelho uses symbols and metaphors throughout the story to convey deeper messages about life, purpose, and spirituality.
The question is, are you brave enough to find out what your personal legend is, and have the guts to go find it?
Reply and tell others how you are seeking out your own personal legend. We learn from each other, and those who have struggled successfully are the most amazing teachers on this earth.
Kevin
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