Paulo Coelho

The three symptoms of killing our dreams

Mush Inspiration, Life, Motivation , , ,

IMG_0395

A repost from Paulo Coehlo’s blog, it’s a piece from one of my favorite books, The Pilgrimage.

The first symptom of the process of killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the Good Fight.

The second symptom of the death of our dreams lies in our certainties. Because we don’t want to see life as a grand adventure, we begin to think of ourselves as wise and fair and correct in asking so little of life. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day existence, and we hear the sound of lances breaking, we smell the dust and the sweat, and we see the great defeats and the fire in the eyes of the warriors. But we never see the delight, the immense delight in the hearts of those who are engaged in the battle. For them, neither victory nor defeat is important; what’s important is only that they are fighting the Good Fight.

And, finally, the third symptom of the passing of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon; we ask for nothing grand, and we cease to demand anything more than we are willing to give. In that state, we think of ourselves as being mature; we put aside the fantasies of our youth, and we seek personal and professional achievement. We are surprised when people our age say that they still want this or that out of life. But really, deep in our hearts, we know that what has happened is that we have renounced the battle for our dreams – we have refused to fight the Good Fight.

When we renounce our dreams and find peace, we go through a short period of tranquility. But the dead dreams begin to rot within us and to infect our entire being.
We become cruel to those around us, and then we begin to direct this cruelty against ourselves. That’s when illnesses and psychoses arise. What we sought to avoid in combat – disappointment and defeat – come upon us because of our cowardice.

And one day, the dead, spoiled dreams make it difficult to breathe, and we actually seek death. It’s death that frees us from our certainties, from our work, and from that terrible peace of our Sunday afternoon.

[Photo from this year’s best collection, taken at Sai Kung, Hong Kong]

What is Success?

Mush Books, Inspiration, Life, Motivation , , ,

For many years, I have struggled to come up with a perfect answer to this question. The following piece from Paulo Coelho’s “Manuscripts Found in Accra” is the best answer I’ve ever read. I hope it inspires you too:

Manuscript found in Accra

Success does not come from having one’s work recognised by others. It is the fruit of the seed that you lovingly planted. When harvest time arrives, you can say to yourself: ‘I succeeded.’

You succeeded in gaining respect for your work because you did not work only to survive, but to demonstrate your love for others.

You managed to finish what you began, even though you did not foresee all the traps along the way. And when your enthusiasm waned because of the difficulties you encountered, you reached for discipline. And when discipline seemed about to disappear because you were tired, you used your moments of repose to think about what steps you needed to take in the future.

You were not paralyzed by the defeats that are inevitable in the lives of those who take risks. You didn’t sit agonising over what you lost when you had an idea that didn’t work.

You didn’t stop when you experienced moments of glory, because you had not yet reached your goal. And when you had to ask for help, you did not feel humiliated. And when you learned that someone needed help, you showed them all that you had learned, without fearing that you might be revealing secrets or being used by others. 

 

Book Recommendation: Manuscript Found in Accra

Mush Books, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, Motivation , , , , ,

IMG_2337I just finished reading this wonderful book by Paulo Coelho, and recommend to anyone looking for inspiration. Some excerpts:

“Losing a battle or losing everything we thought we possessed will bring us moments of sadness. But when those moments pass, we will discover the hidden strength that exists in each of us, a strength that will surprise us and increase our self-respect. We will look around and say to ourselves: ‘I survived.’ And we will be cheered by our words. Only those who fail to recognise that inner strength will say: ‘I lost’, and be sad.”

“Defeat ends when we launch into another battle. Failure has no end; it is a lifetime choice.”

“Stay close to those who sing, tell stories, and enjoy life, and whose eyes sparkle with happiness. Because happiness is contagious and will always manage to find a solution, whereas logic can find only an explanation for the mistake made.”

“Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it – just as we have learned to live with storms. For those who cannot learn to do so, life will be a nightmare.”

What’s your favorite Paulo Coelho’s book? Or any inspiration book. Please share through comments.

Dinchack Facebook page crossed 2500 fans! Check it out for daily tips on happiness, motivation and success.

Inspiring quotes by Paulo Coelho

Mush Inspiration , ,
Three years ago on this blog (re-post from September 2009)
  • No one can avoid defeat. That is why it is better to lose a few battles in the fight for your dreams than to be defeated without even knowing why you are fighting.
  • We are allowed to make a lot of mistakes in our lives, except the mistake that destroys us.
  • If we pay close attention we will come to realize that no day is the same as another. Every morning brings with it a hidden blessing.
  • Absolute freedom does not exist; what does exist is the freedom to choose anything you like and then commit yourself to the decision.
  • Start to do something. That way, time will be an ally, not an enemy.

[Photo during a boat cruise on River Li, from Guilin to Yangshuo]

How to choose your allies…

Mush Books, Motivation , , ,

Just finished reading another wonderful book by Paulo Coelho: The Way of the Bow. It’s a short and simple story that covers many of the values which inspire our daily work: innovation, flexibility, adapting to changes, enthusiasm, team work etc. Here are some inspiring pieces from the chapter on ‘Allies’…

“The best allies are those who do not think like everyone else. When you seek companions, trust your intuition and pay no attention to what anyone else may say. People always judge others by taking as a model their own limitations, and other people’s opinions are often full of prejudice.”

“Join with those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt and then take more risks. Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticize those who do not think like them.”

“Join with those who are flexible as the wood of your bow. They are people who do not hesitate to change direction when they encounter some insuperable barrier. They have the qualities of water: flowing around rocks, adapting to the course of the river…”

“Join with those who sing, tell stories, take pleasure in life, and have joy in their eyes, because joy is contagious and can prevent others from becoming paralyzed by depression, loneliness and difficulties. Join with those who do their work with enthusiasm.”

[Photo of a river in Qing Yuan, China]

Check out Mush’s photos, videos and Facebook page

 

Inspiring Quotes: Life, Enthusiasm and more…

Mush Life, Motivation , , ,

“We are in such a hurry to grow up, and then we long for our lost childhood. We make ourselves ill earning money, and then spend all our money on getting well again. We think so much about the future that we neglect the present, and thus experience neither the present nor the future. We live as if we were never going to die, and die as if we had never lived.” (Jaime Cohen)

“Lord, give us enthusiasm, because enthusiasm is what binds us to the heavens and to earth, to grown-ups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing.” (Paulo Coelho)

“We see the evil in others because we know the evil in ourselves. We say the painful truth to others because we want to hide it from ourselves. We show our strength because, so that no one can see our frailty. That is why, whenever you judge your brother, be aware that it is you who is in the dock.” (Okakura Kakuzo)

[Photo from Mui Wo Ferry Pier, during a bike trip this morning]

Subscribe to get latest posts in email. Follow the latest links in Twitter. Forward this link to friends. Friend me up on Facebook.

The Tears of the Desert – Paulo Coelho

Mush Happiness, Life, Motivation ,

0911 desert

A beautiful piece from ‘Like a Flowing River’ by Paulo Coelho:

A friend of mind returns from Morocco with a beautiful story about a missionary who, as soon as he arrived in Marrakesh, decided that he would go for a walk every morning in the desert that lay just outside the city. The first time he did this, he noticed a man lying down, with his ear pressed to the ground and stoking the sand with one hand.

‘He’s obviously mad,’ the missionary said to himself. But the scene was repeated every day, and after a month, intrigued by this strange behavior, he decided to speak to the stranger. With great difficulty, since he was not yet fluent in Arabic, he knelt down by his side.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I am keeping the desert company and offering it consolation for its loneliness and its tears.’

‘I didn’t know the desert was capable of tears.’

‘It weeps every day because it dreams of being useful to people, and of being transformed into a vast garden where they could grow cereal crops and flowers and graze sheep.’ Continue reading →

Inspiring Quotes by Paulo Coelho

Mush Life, Motivation ,

0910 pagodaNo one can avoid defeat. That is why it is better to lose a few battles in the fight for your dreams than to be defeated without even knowing why you are fighting. (By the River Piedra…)

We are allowed to make a lot of mistakes in our lives, except the mistake that destroys us. (Veronika Decided to Die)

If we pay close attention we will come to realize that no day is the same as another. Every morning brings with it a hidden blessing. (Unpublished)

Absolute freedom does not exist; what does exist is the freedom to choose anything you like and then commit yourself to the decision. (The Zahir)

Start to do something. That way, time will be an ally, not an enemy. (The Fifth Mountain)

[Photo of the pagoda in Tung Chung, Hong Kong]

If you enjoy reading this blog, you can a) subscribe to get latest posts in email, b) follow the latest links in Twitter, c) forward this link to friends.

Change Anything That’s Causing You Unhappiness

Mush Happiness, Life, Motivation , ,

0909 sunset

“Every day, God gives us a moment when it is possible to change anything that is causing us unhappiness. The magic moment is the moment when a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ can change our whole existence. Every day, we try to pretend that we do not see that moment, that it does not exist, that today is the same as yesterday and that tomorrow will be the same too.

However, anyone who pays close attention to his day will discover the magic moment. It might be hidden in the instant that we put the key in the door in the morning, in the moment of silence after supper, in the thousand and one things that appear to us to be the same. This moment exists, a moment in which all the strength of the stars flows through us and allows us to perform miracles.”

By Paulo Coelho in By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept.

More stuff on having a great day: Great day or lousy day? and Make Today Count!

Inspiring Quotes: Paulo Coelho on The Journey

Mush Life, Motivation ,

When every day seems the same, it is because we have stopped noticing the good things that appear in our lives. (The Alchemist)

It is necessary to run risks, to follow certain paths and to abondon others. No one can make a choice without feeling fear. (Brida)

Profound commitment to a dream does not confine or constrain: it liberates. Even a difficult, winding path can lead to your goal if you follow it to the end. (Maktub)

Man needs to choose, not just accept, his destiny. (The Fifth Mountain)

Inspiring Quotes: Paulo Coelho on Chance

Mush Happiness, Life, Motivation ,

It’s not difficult to rebuild a life. All we need is to be aware that we have the same strength we had before, and to use it in our favor. (The Fifth Mountain)

Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant. (Eleven Minutes)

No one knows what is going to happen in the next few minutes, and yet people still go forward, because they have trust, because they have faith. (Brida)

The secret lies in the present – if you pay attention to the present, you will be able to improve it. And if you improve the present, whatever happens afterwards will eb better too. Each day brings us Eternity. (The Alchemist)

What’s Normal? by Paulo Coelho

Mush Life ,

I loved this post on ‘Inventory of Normality’ on Paulo Coelho’s Blog:

I decided to conduct a survey among my friends about what society considers to be normal behavior. What follows is a list I have made of some of the absurd situations we face in day-to-day life, just because society sees them as normal:

1] Anything that makes us forget our true identity and our dreams and makes us only work to produce and reproduce.

2] Making rules for a war (the Geneva Convention).

3] Spending years at university and then not being able to find a job.

4] Working from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon at something that does not give us the least pleasure, so that we can retire after 30 years.

5] Retiring only to discover that we have no more energy to enjoy life, and then dying of boredom after a few years.

6] Using Botox.

7] Trying to be financially successful instead of seeking happiness.

8] Ridiculing those who seek happiness instead of money by calling them “people with no ambition”.

9] Comparing objects like cars, houses and clothes, and defining life according to these comparisons instead of really trying to find out the true reason for being alive.

10] Not talking to strangers. Saying nasty things about our neighbors.

11] Thinking that parents are always right.

12] Getting married, having children and staying together even though the love has gone, claiming that it’s for the sake of the children (who do not seem to be listening to the constant arguments).

12ª] Criticizing everybody who tries to be different.

14] Waking up with a hysterical alarm-clock at the bedside.

15] Believing absolutely everything that is printed.

16] Wearing a piece of colored cloth wrapped around the neck for no apparent reason and known by the pompous name “necktie”.

17] Never asking direct questions, even though the other person understands what you want to know.

18] Keeping a smile on your face when you really want to cry. And feeling sorry for those who show their own feelings.

19] Thinking that art is worth a fortune, or else that it is worth absolutely nothing.

20] Always despising what was easily gained, because the “necessary sacrifice” – and therefore also the required qualities – are missing.

21] Following fashion, even though it all looks ridiculous and uncomfortable. Continue reading →

Favorite Quotes: Paulo Coelho on Dreams

Mush Life, Motivation , ,

“When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you realize your desire.” (The Alchemist – published in 1988)

“Each day’s magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams.” (By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept)

“Dreams nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body. The pleasure of the search and of adventure feed our dreams.” (The Pilgrimage)

“If you have a past with which you feel dissatisfied, then forget it, now. Imagine a new story for your life and believe in it. Focus only on the moments when you achieved what you desired, and that strength will help you to get what you want.” (The Fifth Mountain)

“Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure” (The Alchemist)

“Open your heart and listen to what it is telling you. Follow your dreams, because only a man who is unashamed of himself can manifest the glory of God.” (The Valkyries)

[Photo of a painting in New Zealand Museum, Wellington] See Mush’s Page on Facebook.

Favorite Quotes: Paulo Coelho

Mush Happiness, Life , ,

“When every day seems the same, it is because we have stopped noticing the good things that appear in our lives.” The Alchemist

“Profound commitment to a dream does not confine or constrain: it liberates. Even a difficult, winding path can lead to your goal if you follow it to the end.” Maktub

“When there is no turning back, then we should concern ourselves only with the best way of going forward.” The Alchemist

LIFE by Paulo Coelho (Selected Quotations)

Mush Happiness, Life , , ,

lifeA book full of selected quotes from Paulo Coelho’s many top selling books, including The Alchemist, The Zahir, Brida and Manual of the Warrior of Light. Some of the quotes from the chapter, The Path:

  • In order to have faith in his own path, a warrior does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.
  • In order to arrive you must follow the signs. God inscribed on the world the path that each man must follow. It is just a matter of reading the inscriptions he wrote for you.
  • When we postpone the harvest, the fruit rots, but when we postpone our problems, they keep on growing.
  • In order to live fully, it is necessary to be in constant movement, only then can each day be different from the last.
  • There are moments in life when we need to trust blindly in intuition.