18-paulo-coelho.pdfVIP

TMPhilosophersNotes More Wisdom in Less Time Brian Johnson’s “A philosophy of life: I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” ~ Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite human beings on the planet. I like to say I know a great book when I finish it and say: “The person who wrote that is a *really* good person.” That’s how I feel when I read Coelho’s stuff and I’m obviously not alone as his books have sold more than 100 (!!!) million copies in 150 different countries and have been translated into 60 different languages—easily making him not only one of the coolest guys on the planet but one of the most read and influential! If you haven’t read any of his stuff yet, I’d suggest you start with the magical fable, The Alchemist, where we meet a shepherd in pursuit of his dreams who discovers that when someone truly wants something, the Universe conspires to help him get it. (Some of my other favorites include Veronika Decides to Die (which is now a movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (see trailer here)) and Warrior of the Light and Like the Flowing River (thoughts and reflections from Paulo’s weekly syndicated newspaper column).) I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of his published books and I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas from a bunch of my favorites. Let’s jump in! ONE GREAT TRUTH “There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth… And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ~ from The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream This is the essence of The Alchemist (and a theme that runs through ALL of Coelho’s work): If you have a deep-felt desire, something you TRULY want, it’s the universe begging to express itself through you. To be clear, we’re not talking about somethin