There are all kinds of books in the world. Good books, bad books, and those we simply forget. But every now and then, if you’re lucky, you find a book so profound it doesn’t just change your life—it reveals the answers to questions you’ve been carrying within you all along.
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is that kind of book. It’s a short read, barely 180 pages, but I urge you to treat it like all precious things: take your time. Savor it. Ingest its messages slowly and deliberately.
Read it as if you’re enjoying a decadent meal, appreciating each page like a flavorful bite, and allowing its wisdom to marinate within your soul. Don’t read it as if you’re starving. The most important lessons in life aren’t delivered in bullet points; they are served like a multi-course feast, meant to be experienced, not just consumed.
My wonderful wife, Juliana, gave me this book. She didn’t explain the plot or its purpose—she has a gift for knowing exactly which book I need and when. So, I pass this gift on to you in the same spirit: blindly, and with trust.
I hope it affects you as deeply as it did me. But if it doesn’t, don’t force it. Set it aside. Perhaps in a few years, the universe will call you back to it. The right book finds us at the right time, in perfect alignment with our personal journey.
This book sparked a powerful realization I want to share with you. As I’ve often said, every answer you seek is already inside you. You just need the right circumstances to uncover it. Like a perfect meal, a moment of personal enlightenment cannot be rushed. You can’t take a dish off the stove too early. You must cook it with patience, no matter how hungry you are, or you risk missing the profound message waiting within.
Embrace this process, and it will guide you to a path of true understanding—a happiness you never knew existed, a peace that resides deep within your soul. The Alchemist inspired these thoughts, and I hope the book has the same, if not greater, effect on you.
The Misunderstanding of a Simple Word
When people say, “All I want is to be happy,” I implore you to reflect on what that word truly means. We often repeat this mantra without understanding what we’re truly asking for.
For many, happiness is seen as a destination, a final stop after a long journey. In reality, it’s a feeling. Often, when people say they want to be “happy,” what they are really asking for is to be free from suffering, willing to do anything to end their internal hardship.
When I tell people I am genuinely happy with my life, I’m often met with looks of confusion. By society’s standards, I live in poverty. I own very little. I’ve endured immense hardship, having to start my life over multiple times after losing everything. How can I be happy without money? How can I find peace after going from a six-figure engineering career to living on Social Security? How can a person who has battled the deepest depression now feel complete and appreciate life to the fullest?
This is a central reason I started this blog, as I will answer this question, along with many more, in time. I wanted to share the secrets I’ve learned to achieve what I was told was a hopeless pipe dream. I’m here to tell you that true contentment, or happiness is not only possible, but it is something you can start do work on in this very moment. However, I will not deliver answers in bullet points, as mentioned above. But instead of–and often times without–handing you the answer, I will give share insights and stories for you to reflect upon, how to apply it to your own life, in hopes that the revelation come to you these moments came to me. But keep in mind, that I will always share methods, or a place to start.
But I digress.
To me, happiness is an elongated state of contentment. I still feel sadness, I cry, I hurt—I am not immune to pain just because I’ve found an internal peace. The difference is, I no longer suffer day after day. My ‘resting-face’ is that of a smile, instead of frown. My past has not changed, but my future has. I chose to be a good father, breaking the cycle of abuse that statistics predicted for me. I am not a monk or a Buddhist (though I’ve adapted practices that improve my life). I do not live in a temple or spend 20 hours contemplating a single grain of rice. I am an everyday person, like you. A real person, with real problems, joys, and day-to-day responsibilities.
The Power of Choice
This is the core of it all:
You can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be sad.
You can choose to focus on the negatives, or you can choose to concentrate on the positives.
It is, actually, that simple.
I have conditioned myself—made it a habit—to see the peace and beauty in life. I am grateful for the eternal “now” I live in and for the experiences that shaped me, even the painful ones. Often, we choose to suffer without realizing it. We fixate on the negative, poisoning our minds and bodies until it spirals out of control.
Conversely, practicing daily affirmations and techniques (like the ones I share on this blog) builds happiness upon contentment, creating an upward spiral. This transforms you into a beacon of light that others gravitate toward.
A Peace Unparalleled
It is within this profound peace that you will find understanding, and in that understanding, you will find happiness. This is what you may be searching for—what brought you here, to this moment, reading these words, right now.
The answer has always been within you. It always will be. The universe will always help guide you in the direction, as well as give you choices, in order to create a better life for yourself. 2
I invite you to follow my blog. Hear my stories of hardship and triumph, and if you choose, learn from them. Not everything I share will resonate, but if one moment from my past can positively shape your future, then every step of my journey has been worth it.
We all face hardships. These challenges become the stories of how we overcame them. The tapestry of human experience is woven with the same threads; all coming from the same universal hand. When we can understand this, our hardships are no longer punishments; they become opportunities to grow, to learn, to transform suffering into joy–for ourselves, and others. This is the path to understanding the birthplace of internal peace. That peace is the currency of the soul, and, to me, is only true measure of wealth.
I look forward to hearing your story. While I am not a doctor, I am more than happy to help anyone who reaches out. All communication will be confidential, and I will only share your story in a future section designed to inspire others—and only with your explicit permission.
Remember, you are not alone.