Paulo Coelho’s 4 Tips for Becoming Wildly Successful in Life

• by Josue Valles - 

If you ever wished you could peer inside the mind of one of the most intriguing icons in the world and find out exactly what makes them successful, here’s your chance. Paulo Coelho has written some of the most popular and inspiring novels of the 21st century, touching the hearts of more than 100 million people in 56 different countries.

The Alchemist — Coelho’s most famous novel — has sold over 150 million copies, becoming one of the history’s best-selling books and setting the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. With these facts in mind, it’s clear that Coelho knows a few things about success.

Here are Paulo Coelho’s 4 tips for becoming wildly successful in life:

1. Remember your dreams and fight for them

According to Coelho, successful people must overcome fear and follow their dreams. When referring to the fear of failure, Coelho adds, “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.”

When I was in high-school, I dreamed of becoming a professional skateboarder; I genuinely loved that sport. I remember waking up every day with excitement, waiting for the moment I could get on my skateboard and feel the wheels under my feet and the air brushing my hair, but my dad massacred that dream without prejudice.

If I remember well, he said: “Only 1% of skateboarders are lucky enough to make a living from skateboarding, and you aren’t that lucky. Better get yourself a college degree and do something with your life.”

Sadly, I believed my dad’s words. I was so afraid of failing or disappointing my parents, that I quit my dream. I listened to my inner demons instead of my heart, which was a costly mistake. To be fair, I don’t know for sure whether or not I could have been a professional skateboarder, but it’s something I’ll never know.

The bottom line? When fear seizes your soul, and you think you’re not good enough, when no one else believes in you, remember your dreams and fight for them. You have what it takes to handle whatever life throws at you.

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” – Paulo Coelho

2. You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it

If you can know only one thing about Coelho, it should be that he never regrets for the “wrong” decisions he made or the painful times he went through. He says: “I don’t regret my painful times, I bare my scars as if they were medals. I know that freedom has a high price, as high as that of slavery; the only difference is that you pay with pleasure and a smile, even when that smile dimmed by tears.”

This is a crucial life lesson. Like Coelho, I  believe that we learn more from our failures than from our successes. So the next time you bring back one of those unpleasant memories, rather than feeling sad, try to dig out a good lesson from that experience and move on.

Many of us spend our lives feeling guilty and regretting what we did (or did not) in the past instead of focusing on the things we can do right now. That’s a huge waste of time. Let the past stay in the past, and remember that you drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.

3. Don’t be intimidated by other people’s opinion

So we know that successful people always follow their dreams, right? And if you follow a dream, you need to have a willingness to endure the criticism and rejection, especially when it comes from people you care about. It’s staggering how many of us will give up on a dream just because someone tells us we can’t. The truth is until you follow your heart instead of other people’s opinions, you’ll never get ahead in life.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should be rude or disrespectful to others, but there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and just criticism. The key lies in differentiating both.

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” – Paulo Coelho

4. Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience

I love this quote from Coelho: “You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.”

The primary reason most people fail in life is not a lack of talent or opportunities or education, but a refusal to move from their comfort zone and take significant risks. They aren’t brave enough to challenge their boss and ask for a raise, or to quit their job to start a business, or to follow a wild dream. They’re asleep, while their life is passing them by.

But you’re going to be different, right? You’re going to be brave. You’re going to take risks. You’re going to commit to fighting for your dreams and never give up. Because it’s the only way to witnessing the miracle of life.

Have you read ‘The Alchemist’ or any of Paulo Coelho’s books? What did you think? Please leave your thoughts below!

Source: https://addicted2success.com/life/paulo-coelhos-4-tips-for-becoming-wildly-successful-in-life/

10 Regrets You Do Not Want To Have 10 Years From Now

We’re often so wrapped up in daily stresses and concerns that we miss the bigger picture. We might rarely stop to really think about what we want, and this can put us on a path to regret and sadness before we even realize it.

Consequently, it’s well worth spending some time considering what we don’t want our lives to look like, with a view to creating a beautiful existence that brings satisfaction every day.

Here are ten major regrets you do not want to have ten years from now, along with tips that will help you avoid them.

1. Not Taking Action On Meaningful Goals

If you’ve got dreams and goals, don’t waste time putting them off or you’ll end up wasting all of your potential. There’s a lot of truth to the famous cliché that you “only regret things you don’t do.” Decide what you want to achieve, then start making a plan that will help you get there. With the right attitude and a truckload of determination, you can manifest absolutely anything you want in life.

So what is holding you back right now? What is holding you back from manifesting your dream life?

It can be fear of failure, it can be negative influence, it can be lack of motivation…  Whatever the reason, it is important to find it, and then take steps to eliminate it.

2. Letting Others Create Your Dreams For You

On a related note, you’re virtually guaranteed to feel regretful ten years down the line if you let others dictate how you should behave and what you should want. While family members, friends and society more broadly can put a huge amount of pressure on us to be a certain way, do your best to push past that influence and live in a way that’s congruent with your deepest values and desires.

A good place to start is asking yourself these 3 questions:

• What does truly make you happy? Activities, people, hobbies etc. Write down everything you can think of. Also, try to imagine your perfect day (or week, if you can), what would it be like?
• What bothers you? On the other hand, you need to be clear about what makes you unhappy. Be honest with yourself, you don’t need to pretend you’re happy with something if you’re not.
• What do you really need? Sit down and think about what you can not live without. This is the time to be realistic about the things that are actually important to you. Family? Love? Financial security? Be clear and specific about what you need. For example, you may not need a million dollars to live your dream life. Figure out how much you actually need to live the lifestyle you want.

3. Spending Too Little Time With The Right People

No matter why you struggle to make time for the people who inspire love and excitement in you, there’s bound to be something you can do to fix this. Look at where you can cut out unnecessary commitments or boring habits from your life, and use those moments to connect and reconnect with the ones who bring light into your life.

4. Staying In A Toxic Relationship For Too Long

Just as it’s important to spend time with the right people, it’s equally urgent to cut toxic relationships out of your life. Whether you’re in an abusive romantic relationship or sticking with a friend who only drags you down, it’s time to think about how you can get out of this situation and move towards bonds that nurture you.

5. Settling For Less Than You’re Capable Of

You might have a loud inner critic—a voice that tells you that you’re not good enough to get what you want, or that it’s not “safe” to try anything new. However, consider where this voice is coming from (often negative experiences in childhood), and try to replace those outdated and limiting beliefs with the positive conviction that you can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t settle for less!

6. Letting Impatience Dominate Your Decisions and Actions

When you feel impatience or frustration welling up inside you, take a deep breath or deliberately engage in a mindfulness exercise that slows your thoughts. You’ll live to regret snap decisions made without proper thought.

7. Collecting More Excuses Than You Can Count

It’s easy to put things off, telling yourself you can’t do them right now. This allows you to believe you’re still pursuing your aims, but stops you from having to put in the hard work or summoning the bravery to actually go after those goals. Learn to flag excuses when you have to make them, and call yourself out for using unhelpful defense mechanisms.

8. Wearing A Mask To Impress Others

We all want to be liked, but there’s very little genuine satisfaction in being appreciated for a fake self that you merely project in order to please others. It’s far better to live an authentic life, showing your true colors and accepting that the right people will love and accept you.

While there will always be subtle variations in your presentation (e.g. you might be slightly different at work than at home), don’t waste your life being fake—it’s a recipe for isolation, boredom and regret.

9. Worrying Way Too Much About Stuff That Doesn’t Matter

Sure, it might feel important right now to worry about what you’re going to wear to a particular event or to get bent out of shape because of someone who was rude to you on the train, but in the long run these things don’t really matter.

Try to let go of minor annoyances and anxieties as they arrive, accepting them but then moving through them. If you’re not sure whether you should devote your attention to something, ask yourself the following: will you really care about this issue in ten years?

10. Avoiding Change And Growth

Finally, personal growth isn’t always comfortable, but you’ll end up living in persistent regret if you deliberately ignore chances to evolve as a person. Work to free yourself from the baggage of your past, look for ways to move out of your comfort zone, and embrace the life-long challenge of learning!