Whenever I’m in need of some soul-searching or inspiration, I read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. It’s such a simple story and quick read, but it has probably impacted my life more than any other book I’ve read (and I read a lot).

The Alchemist follows the journey of a boy looking for his Personal Legend. It shows us how, as adults, we often lose sight of what we truly love to do, and more importantly, lose the courage to actually pursue our dreams. From the Andalusia region of Spain, through the African desert and to the Egyptian pyramids, this boy’s journey teaches us the importance of listening to your heart.

Some of my favorite quotes from The Alchemist:

• “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.”
• “When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a positive force.”
• “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”
• “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”
• “Every search begins with beginners luck and ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”
• “It is said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.”
• “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
• “People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.”
• “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”
• “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

I strongly recommend reading The Alchemist, whether you’re soul-searching or not!