Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and lyricist and widely known for his bestselling book, The Alchemist.
In total, his books were sold more than two million times in over 80 languages.
Coelho’s books teach profound life lessons by telling fascinating stories in a simple, easy-to-understand language.
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Whenever he’s asked about the meaning of life, he states that he knows as little as anybody else but that he’s constantly asking questions.
He once shared that he believes his writing resonates with so many people, not because of the answers he gives but because of the questions he asks.
“You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.”
Too often, we allow ourselves to sink in misery while we could pull ourselves out of it.
Even though we all face bad days and challenging situations, we can always choose how to deal with these difficulties.
We can accuse others, act like a victim, or even let small situations ruin an entire day. But we can also do the opposite by taking responsibility, accepting that shit happened, and embracing life just the way it is.
How to apply it:
Next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, pause for a moment. Take a few minutes and write down all the different opportunities you have on how to deal with that challenging situation.
Sometimes, structuring different opportunities to solve a problem and approaching it systematically can lead to more relief than anything else.
You can always drown in self-pity and act like a victim. But most of the time, you can also take action and make a change.
Maybe you can call a friend or family member and ask for help? Or ask for professional advice?
And sometimes, a few calm moments, a long walk, or a good cup of coffee with a beloved friend are all we need to find our way back to reality and acknowledge all the beauty of life.
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
This is one of the most famous quotes of Coelho’s bestselling book, The Alchemist.
Even though Coelho barely uses terms such as the law of attraction and manifestation, many of his core teachings revolve around these principles.
In a video, the famous author explains how everything in the world is affected when you put your energy out in the world.
As everything on our planet is made of atoms, everything is connected to each other, and whatever you do, you interfere with the rest of the world.
That’s why, if you have a strong desire and you put your entire heart in it, the whole universe will, as Coelho puts it, conspire in helping you to achieve it.
How to apply it:
The universe will only start helping you to achieve what you want if you know what you want and want it really bad.
There’s a difference between wishing something would happen and putting your heart into it and taking massive action towards your dream. The universe and the law of attraction always work as hard as you do.
If you are not convinced about your desire, you can’t ever persuade anyone else to support you. But if you genuinely want to achieve a goal, your energy will attract people and opportunities that will help you to get there — every single time.
The first step to attracting your desires is to visualize them in front of your eyes.
Grab pen and paper and write down how you want your life to look like in one, five, or ten years from now. Or create a beautiful vision board with images that represent your ideal life. Pinterest is a great tool to do that.
Creating that compelling, concrete vision is the first, but incredibly important step to attract all the greatness you deserve.
“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.”
This quote is found in By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and is one of the core teachings of Coelho, which can be found many times across his work.
Many of Paulo Coelho’s books are about courageous people who took the leap and went on a journey to follow their dreams. Along this journey, they face life-changing situations that teach them profound lessons on how to live, love, and be.
In her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Bronnie Ware summarized the biggest regrets of people who were living their last days. And the most common disappointment of all was, “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
How to apply it:
There’s a thin line between making dumb decisions and taking calculated risks, which most people, unfortunately, don’t understand.
Cheating on your partner might not be the risk worth taking while giving up your corporate job to fulfill your dreams may be.
If you always try to play it safe, you don’t allow miracles to happen.
Whenever I need to decide whether to play it safe or take a risk, I remind myself of a quote by Jeff Bezos:
“I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.”
Next time you’re worrying whether to make a bold step or not, ask yourself if you’d regret not making it. What if you never find out whether it could work?
“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”
You have everything you need to make each of your days a wonderful day.
Too often, we expect miracles to happen in order to value our lives. Yet, we forget that waking up in the morning is a blessing itself.
Every single day you experience on this planet is a gift. You being alive is a miracle itself because the odds of being born are one in 400 trillion.
Even if your days might seem similar, each moment can bear miracles. All you need to do is being present and focusing on the good instead of looking for massive changes to happen.
How to apply it:
To be more aware of all the miracles you experience every single day, carry a tiny notebook with you everywhere you go.
Every time you face a magical moment, such as receiving a lovely message, coming across your favorite flowers, or meeting a good friend by coincidence, write it down. If you don’t want to carry a notebook, you can also use the notes app on your phone.
After doing this for a while, you’ll not only realize how many magical moments you experience, but you’ll also pay more attention to all the beautiful happenings in your daily life.
“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
There’s nothing easier than judging others. The rise of social networks, unfortunately, made it even simpler to spread criticism without even trying to understand why a person is doing what she’s doing.
Yet, by judging others, you only avoid focusing on your reality.
You’ll never find growth or joy in judgment but only in love. If your energy is focused on hatred, that’s what you’ll experience yourself.
How to apply it:
Next time you feel tempted to judge someone, choose to learn from them.
Instead of criticizing, ask yourself what’s the one thing you can learn from this person to live a happier, more fulfilled life yourself.
No matter how much you disagree with a person, you can always find at least one positive thing in everyone you meet. Sometimes you might need to dig a little deeper to find that hidden gem, but it’ll always be worth it to choose love over hate.
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
Coelho describes inspiration as the energy of love. He often refers to love as the solution to most of our struggles.
In an interview with Oprah, he says that once our lives are over, God will ask us:
Did you love enough?
If your answer is yes, you’ll enter heaven.
This question doesn’t refer to romantic love. It rather asks if you opened your heart enough to fully embrace every single moment and every grain of sand, as Coelho describes in The Alchemist.
How to apply it:
Whatever your current struggles might be, love might be the solution or at least the first step.
When you love life, the individuals around you, and the gift you were given by being alive, you’ll always attract abundance and love.
Everything good in life starts with love and gratitude, and the easiest way for you to tap into that magic power is by embracing all the beauty you’re already surrounded by.
Too often, we ignore all our blessings and focus on the struggles we face. That’s why taking a few moments to cherish the beauty in our life can often work like magic.
My favorite way of increasing my vibration and appreciating every single day is by keeping a gratitude journal. Just grab a notebook and a pen, and write down at least three things you’re grateful for.
If you follow that exercise every single day, you’ll soon realize that you’re surrounded by more blessings than you thought possible.
“Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You’ll never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.”
Most of Paulo Coelho’s work is centered around love and following your heart as of being brave enough to do what you’re meant to do.
Most of the time, we silence our deepest desires because we want to follow the rules our families or society taught us. Yet, if your heart wants to take you somewhere else, you’ll never be happy by following others’ expectations.
How to apply it:
You’ll only be able to live a life you love if you’re not afraid to follow your heart. Sometimes, your heart might take you to uncommon destinations, but in the end, you’ll always find more fulfillment in following your most profound desires than by obeying to the rules of others.
Instead of trying to silence your inner voice, allow it to speak up and to guide you through life. And whenever you don’t know where your heart wants to guide you, try to find it out through journaling. By writing down your thoughts, fears, and emotions, you’ll be able to better explore what’s going on in your head.
Writing your thoughts down will help you to structure all your desires in a meaningful way and to find out what next steps to take.
“When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive.”
I love to use this lesson not only on people but on anything in life by saying:
Whenever a door closes, another opens.
How to apply it:
If you want to attract beautiful things and experiences, you first need to make space for them.
If you want to update your wardrobe, first get rid of all the old clothes you don’t want to wear anymore.
If you want to be surrounded by positive people, spend less time with those who drain your energy.
If you want to start your own business, avoid activities that cost you time and focus on your idea instead.
Letting go is always hard, but it’s necessary to make space for something even better to arrive.
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
Life wouldn’t be exciting if we didn’t have to wait for our dreams to come true.
What’s the point of getting everything you want the minute you want it? If that’d be the case, nothing would be worth chasing anymore.
The real problem, however, is that most people don’t have dreams at all. They live the same reality for decades, not even thinking that they could have something else.
Or as Bob Proctor puts it:
“Ninety-five people out of a hundred settle for whatever they get, wishing they had more all the way from the cradle to the casket, never understanding that they could actually have had all they wanted.”
How to apply it:
The first step of living an exciting, enriching life is to actually dream about it. Next, you need to envision yourself living that dream.
Having a vision that excites and empowers you is the most powerful source of energy in life. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning and what drives you to keep going, even when difficulties arise.
Final Thoughts
At its core, Paulo Coelho’s teachings are as simple as profound.
While many self-help gurus tell you to listen to your heart and follow your passion, Coelho is one of the few authors of our time who managed to put these priceless lessons into stories that touch our souls.
To this date, Coelho published more than 20 books and inspired millions of people.
Yet, if all of the lessons above didn’t convince you to fully embrace your blessings and choose love over grief, at least make sure to dance.
Because, as Coelho states:
“When you dance you can enjoy the luxury of being you.”
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