A Prescription for the Soul
Over 20 years ago, my father handed me a slender book and said,
“This feels meant for you.”
He was right.
At the time, The Alchemist felt like a moving parable–heartfelt and magical. But two decades later, the pages are dog-eared, the spine is worn, and I see it now for what it truly is: A prescription for the soul.
A reminder of how to live.
How to listen.
How to turn everyday life into something extraordinary.
“Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.” – The Alchemist
It turns out, neuroscience agrees. Our brains are masterful editors, filtering every experience through the Reticular Activating System (RAS)–not to find what’s true, but to confirm what we already believe. If you believe the world is dangerous or you’re not enough… your brain will make sure you keep seeing it that way.
But here’s the alchemy:
We can shift the filter.
We can choose a new lens.
“He realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in the quest of his treasure.” – The Alchemist
And that choice? It changed everything.
Recently, I had what you might call a “fail.” A couple, in fact.
The kind that could’ve made me turn around, question myself, or shrink.
But instead, I reminded myself:
This isn’t about proving anything.
This is my adventure.
And just like that–the energy shifted. What felt like a block became a moment of becoming. A reminder that every stumble was not just a detour, but part of the path. And that success, when it came, was even sweeter… not because I fought for it, but because I no longer needed to prove I deserved it.
“People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel they don’t deserve them.” – The Alchemist
But here’s the truth: You do.
You don’t have to earn it.
You just have to remember it’s already yours.
And maybe most of all, you have to notice it.
“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.” – The Alchemist
So here’s what I’m sitting with now–and maybe it’s something for you too:
What if the moments in front of you–the mundane ones, the hard ones, the seemingly inconsequential ones–aren’t just scrap metal?
What if they’re waiting for you to turn them into gold?
That’s the gift of alchemy. It doesn’t always take much.
Sometimes it’s a shift in how you see.
Sometimes it’s a whisper of courage.
Sometimes it’s simply choosing to stay.
So the question isn’t just:
Will you see yourself as the victim of circumstance or the adventurer?
It’s also this:
What ordinary moment today is asking to be transformed?
What connection, conversation, or challenge might be waiting to become treasure–through your presence, your choice, or your love?