“In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path.”

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

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

There are three quotes, which come from the book The Alchemist, which have helped me get over doubtful times in my life. I first heard about this book from Will Smith. One of my best friends sent over the audio because he had become inspired by what Will was saying about his rise to success. I believe he was being interviewed on 60 Minutes and he began to share his thoughts about how The Alchemist profoundly helped shape his life. He spoke about the book with such conviction that I immediately went and purchased  it, and was definitely not disappointed. It made sense to me and it resonated with something in my soul.

I’m not going to tell you the whole plot of the book, but the three quotes above will definitely give you examples of its principles. Our everyday struggles serve a purpose, and every choice we makeimpacts our walk in life. I am a very spiritual person, who makes decisions based on the conviction in my soul. If I don’t like your spirit, you are not my friend. If I don’t like what you are doing, I am compelled to tell you my thoughts, even if you don’t like it. I have been deemed head-strong and stubborn, because I choose not to go against what my heart desires. Compromising myself or beliefs will only make me unhappy. Now, there is nothing wrong with compromise but if it completely goes against your core values and beliefs, then that concession will only persecute your own thoughts later on down the line.  I may not know what I want all the time, but I sure do know what I don’t want.

Reading this book seemed to open up my “third eye,” as some will call it. It made think outside of myself and realize that we are all one. This world is connected: black, white, yellow, brown, woman, man, child, sky, earth, etc. If we do better, then people will be inspired to do better. I have people in my life who ridicule me for not drinking anymore or for eating right, which I find weird because that should be something one would encourage. However, they see my contentment with my decisions and sometimes, in a dark room, try to emulate the same behavior from time to time. My decisions are not for anyone else, but for the good of me. And I can only hope that people will want to do the same for themselves.

Another thing that struck a chord with me was the boy’s perseverance through all of his obstacles. He listened to his intuition, which kept him going when everything seemed to be caving in. However, because he wanted something, everything in the universe conspired to make it happen for him. I truly believe this. We may not understand the reasons why things happen at the moment, but if we sat down and reflected, one could probably put the puzzle together and get the answers. There are omens that God gives us to follow; some of us listen and some of us don’t. We know when to say no, but end up saying yes. Defying the omen may lead you down a path that may not be too kind. That decision can profoundly change your life forever, and those are the consequences that people can’t blame on life. We are quick to blame “the man,” the government, our parents, etc. However, maybe there were some omens that you chose to ignore, like going to school and getting an education, using a condom before laying down with a no-good woman or man, or getting money in ways that were lawful not unlawful. We all have omens we have ignored and ended up paying the price for, by way of heartbreak, disappointment, deferred dreams, and/or punishment. These choices shape the course of our life and our future generation’s lives. The Alchemist teaches one to slow down and not be too rash with your decisions; weigh the long-term consequences with the short-term gratification. Everything you want will not be easy. However, patience and persistence will eventually lead you to your desires.

When times get tough and things look bleak, I re-read these quotes. It gives me solace and re-confirms my purpose in life. The tough times will lead to the good times because I will it. There is no such thing as giving up. People may not understand or agree with my path, but it’s my path. The lessons I learn are my lessons, and I own them. I listen to my intuition and I have faith that my intuition will recognize the omens that God has set forth for me. Those omens will eventually lead me down my righteous path.