Well, before going into the article, I want you to answer a question.

Have you ever asked anyone this — “What’s the secret behind your success?”

I’m guessing you have. Maybe not directly, but definitely in your mind. Like when you see someone doing great in life and you go, “How did they do it? What’s the secret behind this huge success?”

Now, I’ll tell you the reason — not mine, but from a man whose story touched millions across the world. The man is Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist.

I recently started reading The Alchemist, and honestly, what grabbed my attention even before the story began was the author’s note.

And let me tell you — I’ve never read something so real, so honest, and so quietly powerful in my entire life.

Paulo Coelho shared that when he wrote The Alchemist, he was still trying to find his place as a writer. He had a dream, yes — but dreams don’t pay bills, right? He was struggling to make people believe in his words, and at times, even he found it hard to keep believing in himself.

Then one day, out of nowhere, he got a call from HarperCollins, one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. And what they said changed everything. They told him that reading The Alchemist felt “like getting up at dawn and watching the sunrise while the rest of the world is still asleep.”

Just imagine that. After all those moments of doubt, someone finally saw what he saw — maybe even what he hoped others would someday see. That single sentence wasn’t just feedback. It was a sign. A moment that whispered, “This is it. Your dream is finally becoming real.”

That one sentence changed everything for him. In that moment, he felt that maybe — just maybe — his dream was finally becoming reality.

And he was right.

The book went on to be translated into 61 languages and sold more than 65 million copies worldwide. It reached people everywhere — from President Clinton, who was photographed reading it, to Julia Roberts, who publicly said she adored it. Paulo even remembered walking down a street in Miami and overhearing a girl tell her mother, “You must read The Alchemist, Mom.”

Imagine that. The same man who once felt invisible now had his story living in millions of hearts.

And when the world asked him, “What’s your secret?” — his answer was beautifully simple.

“I don’t know,” he said. “All I know is that, like Santiago, the shepherd boy in the story, we must all be aware of our Personal Calling — the path that God has chosen for us.”

That’s when I realized something — maybe success isn’t about figuring out how everything will happen. Maybe it’s about trusting that it will.

The Four Obstacles to Success

In the same note, Paulo Coelho talked about something that really stayed with me — he said that to become the person we’re meant to be, we need to cross four obstacles.

And honestly, I think every one of us faces them at some point in life.

The First Obstacle — “It’s Impossible”

From childhood, we’re told that our dreams are impossible — that we’re not talented enough, smart enough, or realistic enough. And little by little, we start believing it.

We grow up carrying fear, guilt, and doubts that bury our true calling deep inside us. But here’s the truth — our dream never really dies. It just waits, quietly, for the day we find the courage to dig it back up.

The first step to success is believing that your dream deserves a chance — even when no one else believes it does.

The Second Obstacle — Love

Once we rediscover our dream, a new fear appears — what if chasing it hurts the people I love?

We worry that we’ll disappoint someone or that our journey might pull us away from those close to us.

But Paulo says love isn’t something that should stop us — it’s something that should fuel us. The ones who truly love us won’t chain us to comfort; they’ll cheer for our freedom.

Love shouldn’t make us stay still. It should give us the courage to move forward.

The Third Obstacle — Fear of Defeat

This is the one most of us know too well. We start something with excitement, and the moment things go wrong, we feel crushed. We begin to think, “Maybe this isn’t meant for me.”

But Paulo reminds us —

“The secret of life is to fall seven times and get up eight.”

Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s a part of success. Every failure shapes you, sharpens you, and prepares you for what’s coming next.

It’s not about avoiding defeat — it’s about getting up every single time life knocks you down.

The Fourth Obstacle — Fear of Success

This one surprised me.

When we finally get close to achieving what we’ve always wanted, we suddenly get scared — What if I don’t deserve this? We look around at others who didn’t make it and start feeling guilty for being the one who might actually succeed.

Paulo calls this the most dangerous obstacle, because it feels logical — but it’s not.

If you’ve walked through pain, heartbreak, and countless failures, then you deserve the moment that’s waiting for you.

If you’ve come this far, you are worthy. You’ve earned your dream.

The Real Secret of Success

After reading this, I realized something simple — success doesn’t come from chasing results. It comes from believing in your path and showing up for it every single day.

You don’t need to know how or when things will fall into place. You just have to keep doing your part — because maybe, just maybe, the moment you’ve been waiting for is right behind the next door.

Sometimes, all that’s left between you and your dream is one more step. So don’t stop now.

Forget about the results. Work for it. The universe knows when it’s your turn to shine.

And when your moment finally comes — when life opens that door you’ve been knocking on for years — you’ll look back and realize:

You didn’t just succeed.

You grew into the person who was ready for it.

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