The Secret of Overcoming the Obstacles to Success: Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist

Abstract

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist has been hailed as a book that has transformed the lives of millions of people. In fact, it is more of a self-help book than a novel. In it, Coelho has focused on the art of living: how to make life interesting by following one’s dream. He asserts that one has to discover one’s personal legend or the very purpose of being. Coelho claims that actually the greatest secret of success in life is love, for it is at the root of personal transformation and collective evolution. This paper aims to focus on the obstacles faced by human beings and how they manage the obstacles and succeed in life. The ability to overcome an obstacle or solve a problem is a basic life skill and is essential to our day-to-day lives, at home, at school, and at work. We solve problems every day without really thinking about how we solve them. Problem solving is the process of identifying a problem, developing possible solution paths, and taking the appropriate course of action. Good problem-solving skills empower one to be a great successful person both in life and in the respective profession.