Can you learn to be the wind?

I’ve recently finished reading a book that I thought I’d never read: The Alchemist (by Paolo Coelho). I know most of you know and have read it. I guess my reluctance to read it before stemmed from my experience of reading a Paolo Coelho book that I didn’t like. But now that I’ve read The Alchemist, I don’t regret having read it.

The book gives so many tidbits in life….which deserves more discussion. But for now, I would like to share the three most important lesons that I’ve learned from it, and no, there are no lines that will tell you these directly, they are deduced when you read the whole book.

First, to find our "personal legend" or our purpose in life, we have to get out of our comfort zones and seek farther and wider. Ika nga, we must  get out of the box we are in right now. Now, this is easier said than done…we have been used to most aspects of our lives that we are reluctant to give them up. Personally, I know that there is something within me that makes me feel that I have to do something that I don’t know what! But I’ve become used to my life (work, house, WEndy, travel, bake, mall…) that I’m afraid to change it. Well, as one Chinese author (asa Springer pa ako nun) said: We must not become prisoners of the circle that we draw around ourselves. I hope someday I get to step out of that circle….

Second, sometimes, we search the world for our "treasure," look far, and travel time and time again, only to find out that our treasure was where we were in the first place. This may entail different treasures for  person, it may be our home, our family, our work, our organization, but the message is the same: sometimes, we are blind that we do not realize that our treasure was with us in the first place…. But then, don’t lessons 1 and 2 contradict? Not really, because I believe that it is in the process of searching for our treasure that we learn of our personal legend. Sabi nga nila, it is not the destination, but the journey.

And the most important thing I leaned is that when you reach a certain level that you truly, truly believe in yourself (not in an arrogant, conceited way), you can do and be anything, turn lead into gold or even be the wind.  Many people don’t believe in themselves…and it is important that when you want to achieve something and go somewhere, the place to start is within you: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

The book was "matalinhaga"… does the same apply to life? I don’t think so…life is straighforward…we live to be happy, to enjoy, to love, but remember that we are here for a purpose.