The Alchemist: Second Read, Big Impact
I reread The Alchemist after more than 10 years—and this time, it actually landed. I think I finally have the heart to understand it.
Have you ever read a book for the second time and finally understood what it really meant?
The first time, I finished it without feeling much, and ended up letting it go. But years later, it somehow found its way back into my hands. And this time—bam! I finally saw the heart of the story. I think it’s because I’ve experienced more, read more wise words, and lived through more real-life stuff since then.
Yesterday, I finished reading The Alchemist. I’m pretty sure I read it over 10 years ago, but I honestly forgot everything about it. Then the other day, I randomly found a copy at Kinokuniya in Arlington Heights, and something told me to pick it up.
The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho—it’s a huge bestseller with over 150 million copies sold worldwide. It’s about a boy named Santiago, a shepherd who decides to follow a recurring dream and sets off on a journey to find treasure. It’s a simple story, but it’s full of important life messages tucked into every corner.
The line that hit me hardest was:
“When you really want something to happen, the whole universe will conspire so that your wish comes true.”
When I read that, I immediately thought of the episode of The Tim Ferriss Show I wrote about recently—when Elisabeth Gilbert talked about dropping everything and following her inner desire. If I had read this quote before doing The Artist’s Way, I probably would’ve rolled my eyes and said, “Okay, but what’s ‘the universe,’ exactly?” 😅
But now, I get it. I feel like I finally have the foundation to understand what that really means.
I have a feeling The Alchemist is going to become one of my heart-books. The kind I pull off the shelf again and again, just to flip through and see what new hints it gives me depending on where I’m at in life.