Leaving the days of college behind and stepping foot into the real world can be a difficult task. The stress and confusion can be at times overwhelming. Needless to say, the past few months have not gone as smoothly as planned. The job search is grueling and taking more time than I could have possibly imagined. However, just as I was beginning to feel lost and losing hope, I came across the inspiration I needed.
As I sat down to relax, finally opening the book I had been anxiously awaiting to read for weeks, within the first few pages I was instantly intrigued and inspired. I am tempted to include the entire introduction to The Alchemist in this post, but I will refrain. However, for those of you who have the time, I highly recommend reading it.
Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, points out that we all have a personal calling or a path that has been chosen for us here on earth:
"Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream" (Paulo Coehlo).
Whether or not to fulfill our legend is up to each one of us, so why do many of us falter when following our dreams? According to Coehlo, there are four obstacles standing in our way. The first obstacle is impossibility. We are told many times that our ideas are impossible, and we grow to accept this as fact. So eventually, we forget about our personal calling all together. Secondly, love complicates our dreams; "We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream." And the last two obstacles we face are related to personal fears. The fear of defeat overtakes us. Losing everything we have worked so hard for is frightening, so we play it safe. And last, but not least, we fear the dream itself.
Instead of fearing defeat, defeat your fears. Instead of allowing guilt to guide, remember all you have overcome and what you deserve. Instead of convincing yourself the possible is impossible, believe. And instead of burying your dreams, embrace them.
this post is phenom.
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