Why Paulo Coelho rocks my socks.

In my attempt to cram The Alchemist in my brain for tomorrow's quiz in Eng 12, I fought my being against e-books and went on a search.

Thank God I had. I've just read the most helpful introduction to a book ever.

XD

Coelho says there are four factors that hinder us humans from reaching our goal:

1. We are told from childhood that having such and such dreams are impossible.
2. Love - fear of giving up everything, and everyone, to follow that dream. 
3. Defeats - that when we get over our giving up people's expectations in us, we concern ourselves with committing mistakes. That everything we gave up for was useless.
4. Upon a couple more steps onto reaching that goal, we hesitate. We feel guilt, looking around to those who failed in their journeys, and thinking that what we've done so far doesn't make us deserving of what we want (even though we worked our asses off for it).

And for his final paragraph, I shall type it here as a whole:

This (referring to the fourth) is the most dangerous of the obstacles because it has a kind of saintly aura about it: renouncing joy and conquest. But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here.

        ~ Coelho, as translated by Costa, M.J.

I deserve every failure, and every accomplishment I've gotten until now.

My final words?

WALANGYA KA KUNG SINO KA MANG PINAHIRAM KO NG LIBRO KONG 'THE ALCHEMIST.' IBALIK MO NA SIYA PLEASE.

XD

I'm serious. TT-TT