Your Personal Legend

Discuss the September 2014 book of the month, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
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cyndiha11
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Your Personal Legend

Post by cyndiha11 »

Could you give up everything in order to go on your own quest for your Personal Legend?

I have given thought to this many times throughout my life (giving things up in order to follow my heart), and ended up being too afraid of losing the things I had at the time. What about you? Have you given things up in your life in order to follow your heart?
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Post by amybo82 »

At first, I was going to say that I agree with you--I am too afraid to give up everything to go on my own quest. However, I think that if something were meaningful and powerful enough, I would be willing to try. I've definitely gotten more used to the idea of being able to give up all my physical possessions. Several years ago, I was in a situation that forced me to decide if I wanted to hold onto my things, or if I wanted to let them go and better my life. I chose the latter, and I'm so happy I did. I still got to keep some stuff, and I had a really hard time letting go of the other stuff, but I realize now that I don't miss the stuff that I left behind, and I'm much happier now!
A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. –Neil Gaiman
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cyndiha11
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Post by cyndiha11 »

amybo82 wrote:At first, I was going to say that I agree with you--I am too afraid to give up everything to go on my own quest. However, I think that if something were meaningful and powerful enough, I would be willing to try. I've definitely gotten more used to the idea of being able to give up all my physical possessions. Several years ago, I was in a situation that forced me to decide if I wanted to hold onto my things, or if I wanted to let them go and better my life. I chose the latter, and I'm so happy I did. I still got to keep some stuff, and I had a really hard time letting go of the other stuff, but I realize now that I don't miss the stuff that I left behind, and I'm much happier now!
Good for you! I too was in a situation where I gave up a lot of things in order to move on with my life, but it wasn't a decision that I made; rather it was a decision that was made for me. It would sure be a lot easier if the King of Salem came up to me one day and told me what my Personal Legend was and how to go about getting there ;)
“I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Post by IceSmith »

I think, as adults, the hardest part is walking away from a steady paycheck to pursue your dreams, at least that was my biggest roadblock. Due to budget cuts someone else made that decision for me, I can't say enough about how scary but also how fulfilling the last few month have been.
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Post by amybo82 »

I definitely understand the fear of losing a steady paycheck or losing your possessions or the people you love or any number of other comforting adult things. It's also different when you're forced to give it up versus when you make that choice yourself. I know it might sound goofy, but I read Rhonda Byrne's <i>The Secret</i> a few years ago, and it changed the way I view a lot of things. One of those is happiness. I think that if you know something is going to make you really happy and you're not really happy in your current situation, then it's probably worth it to strike out and make a change! That being said, it's also super scary not knowing if you're going to have security in the future, so I can understand both sides of the argument!
A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. –Neil Gaiman
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Post by raindropwriter »

Nice post!! This is one topic where almost everyone will agree with yes and no.. :))

Till date I always give up my dreams just because I lack that capability to take decision for myself.. But life's been so generous that whatever I did not pursue is gradually coming in my life again and this time I do not have to think of taking any extreme decision.. I guess it all depends on sincerity and dedication.

When I live one dream another new dream awaits for me to pursue it. But I'm positive about one day actually taking a decision instead of waiting.. :P

And, yes that steady paycheck is a big roadblock!!
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Post by stoppoppingtheP »

Wow. I really don't know if I would be able to leave everything behind. That takes real courage, to walk into the unknown not knowing what awaits you, only holding on to a dream.

“there have been so many times
i have seen a man wanting to weep
but
instead
beat his heart until it was unconscious.

-masculine”


― Nayyirah Waheed
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Post by Bfrisco »

Frankly, I would find it difficult to walk away from everything I know. I've often fantasized about packing up and moving away and pursuing something I think I may love, but I don't know if I could ever work up the nerve to actually do it.
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Post by GKCfan »

I certainly couldn't walk away– I have too many connections, and I freely admit that I am not comfortable with change and uncertainty.
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Post by Phoebe Moon »

amybo82 wrote:I definitely understand the fear of losing a steady paycheck or losing your possessions or the people you love or any number of other comforting adult things. It's also different when you're forced to give it up versus when you make that choice yourself. I know it might sound goofy, but I read Rhonda Byrne's <i>The Secret</i> a few years ago, and it changed the way I view a lot of things. One of those is happiness. I think that if you know something is going to make you really happy and you're not really happy in your current situation, then it's probably worth it to strike out and make a change! That being said, it's also super scary not knowing if you're going to have security in the future, so I can understand both sides of the argument!
Hi Amy

Have you read further into the Law of Attraction as discussed in The Secret?

I've achieved some crazy things. I'd highly recommend you read the Law of Attraction by Jerry and Esther Hicks (Abraham Hicks). You may find the idea of channelling to be a bit iffy, but it doesn't matter - the information given is amazing and you'll be co-creating marvellous things in no time. They give you exercises and games to play to become better at manifesting.
Vini, legi, vici
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Post by TrishaAnn92 »

Until this book I never really thought about my own personal legend. I suppose now even if I knew what it was I probably wouldn't try to discover it. I have a husband and three energetic little girls. That alone would make me feel happy and content for the rest of my days. Now of I could go about discovering it and living it out knowing I wouldn't lose them I would.
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Post by Sweet_Lullaby »

Personally, I wouldn't mind, since there isn't really something too important for me right now. I mean, sure there is the basic stuff, but nothing that would get in my way for such an adventure.
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Post by Dando »

Though it made for a great story, I do not believe in the idea of a Personal Legend. So of course I wouldn’t give everything up for something I don’t believe in.

However, I have recently uprooted my life and sacrificed a great deal to pursue a lifelong dream. It has been a challenging adventure and I read The Alchemist for the first time about 7 months into my journey. In many ways, it really spoke to my experience here and helped me cope with some of the challenges I face every day. Still I embarked on this journey with a considerable safety net and I doubt I would have done this without it. I have a supportive family at home. I have free and accessible health care. And I have enough money to maintain my financial obligations. I also have a fixed timeline and a clear end point for my current endeavors. Before starting this I never would have had the courage to drop everything without the safety net that I have, but now I think I would be much more likely to do so (so long as I wouldn't default on my student loans…) if passion and opportunity presented itself.
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Post by zoedecicco »

In a way, I am preparing to do this now. I am leaving my country to live in another country in a few months, because I am following my heart and pursuing a dream I have had for so long. It is against the wishes of many around me, but I know it is the right thing to do. I am on my quest for my Personal Legend already!
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Post by NanoWasabi »

I would love to do something like that, partly because there's not a lot of stuff that I would be leaving behind. I do have a family, but I will eventually leave them anyways to go to college, and I don't consider my physical stuff to be that important. If I knew exactly what my personal legend was supposed to be, then I would follow it in a heartbeat.
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