Crossing the Bridges: What Inspires Me
One of my favorite books is The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I have read it more than once, and listened to it countless times (the audio book is brilliantly narrated by Jeremy Irons).
Nothing I have ever read has resonated with me like The Alchemist. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking fiction or non-fiction, this book speaks to me like no other.
It is not a long book. But it is very, very deep. Although it is a work of fiction, many of the points it touches upon are real.
Everyone has the ability to follow their heart to live out their dreams and realize what Coelho calls one’s “personal legend”. We are all capable of communing more with nature, listening to our hearts, following the signs and omens laid out for us as we move forward in our life.
Every time I re-read or re-listen to this book, I become inspired. I want to follow the omens and listen to my heart and live out my own “personal legend”. I want to take the necessary chances to find my own “treasure”, wherever it is buried. I want to live each day intensely, to know that my time on this planet has not been wasted but rather well spent, and that I am happy with my life.
The Alchemist is all about the journey. It’s another example of Joseph Campbells’ “Heroes’ Journey”, but it also touches upon The Law of Attraction and Consciousness Creating Reality and living in the moment in the most approachable way I have ever encountered.
I am not the only person for whom this book has an impact. The Alchemist has been on the NY Times Bestseller list for nearly 8 years! It’s been translated into numerous languages, and is a beloved allegory.
I tried to write my own story, inspired by The Alchemist. Vortex Pilgrimage is an homage to Coelho’s allegory, imbedded in an alternate reality to our own and written from a 1st person perspective (which is not my normal style). It is an embellishment of my own travels to visit the energy vortexes in Sedona, AZ.
I have read much of the rest of Coelho’s works. They are all excellent, but none has stuck with my like The Alchemist does. Such an incredible tale, it makes me feel content every time I listen to it.
What has this got to do with my own work as an author? I want to be as inspiring as Paulo Coelho is. It’s not just The Alchemist, the rest of his works are also inspiring. Past that, he blogs and Tweets frequently, and shares his wisdom freely. He has endured a lot of hardship in his life, and has risen above it to become one of the bestselling authors of all time, and an influential figure.
I guess if I have any hero at all, Paulo Coelho would be it. There are many other writers who inspire me, whom I would like to emulate in some form or other, but Coelho is a man I deeply admire. More than the success he has achieved, I want to be as capable as he is at inspiring!
Like my new mantra says, I am a successful writer who empowers people to be inspired. I want to help people imagine, dream, see the world as a place of possibility, excitement and potential. I want to help people be empowered, so that they can take responsibility for their own lives, and find more happiness and peace.
Why is this so important to me? Because I believe that we can only make the world a better place for everyone if we each individually find our own way. It’s not easy, and there are days when it feels terribly daunting. But we are all capable of taking control of our lives, of our thoughts and feelings and ultimately our actions. When we do that, we can choose to seek out our dreams and live as fully as possible, just like young Santiago in The Alchemist does.
Yes, I want to ultimately be a successful author. I want my books to be well-loved, inspiring people’s imaginations. I want my blogs to have a positive impact on people, and to help them see a world of expansion and hope rather than compression and fear.
We are all more capable than we are led to believe. We can all listen to our hearts and seek our dreams, and live each day with excitement and passion. I know this can be hard, but when I do it I am so much happier for who I am and how my life is. That is what I most want to achieve with my life. I want to be as whole, happy and able to share as I possibly can be.
Everybody experiences ups and downs in life. That’s part of being human, that’s part of our every day. What we often neglect is our ability to take control, to make choices and to seek out a better destiny than the one we think has been set before us. The Universe is a place of abundance, not lack. I believe this to be the truth. This is what I want to focus on.
The possibilities are many, the potential is vast. I am a work in progress. Thank you for crossing the bridges between my worlds with me!
This is the tenth entry of my personal journey, the Crossing the Bridges series. My collectively published writing can be found here.
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