Rambling while following the Alchemist

I read The Alchemist today - for probably the 100th time. its a brilliant book. while reading that book, i found myself. most people i know who've read the book say that its too dry for their liking. well, different strokes for different folks. Paulo Coelho came up with a winner - a magical fable about following your dream - and i am here to encourage people to do exactly that.

to have a dream is a great thing. dreams are the very stuff we are made of. the dreams we have reflect our deepest longings and desires. they create in us the will to succeed. the trick is to not let your dream turn into a nighmare. for that to happen, well, we have to use our minds.

everyday life is evidence of the power of the human mind. human beings, by virtue of being human beings, are endowed with a powerful thing called the mind. most people mistake displays of this power for coincidence. when you think of someone and the person calls, its not just by chance that he/she called. its because we are all connected at a very subconscious level. to quote john travolta in phenomenon, "we're all made of the same stuff - energy". and its from that energy that our minds derive their power.

everything we want in life happens twice, or atleast it should. the first time is in our minds, when we actually visualise what the actual result of our wants would be, and the second time is in reality. the difference between wanting something and actually achieving that want is purely desire. you just have to want it so damn bad that it consumes your very being. it could be anything - from a new bike, to admission at IIM-A, to whatever else. but there lies the problem.


with the dream comes the fear of failure. fear of people laughing at us when we fail. the problem is with the fact that most people are too scared to dream and when they cross that hurdle, their demon becomes doubt. faith is among the many things that binds us. it gives us reason to be. most people dream, and then say, "thats never gonna happen". its that kind of thought pattern that causes failure. when you do anything, you must believe in what it is that you are doing. the entire world might be against you, but if YOU believe, then its absolutely fine.

we live in a cynical, hypocritical world. that is a sad, but true fact of life. and try as you might, you can never please the masses. the best we can do is to please ourselves, and the select few who we know will stand by us. so dream, follow your dream, and have a ball achieving your dream. May the force be with you all........