The Alchemist

This Book Is for You If…

✔ You’ve felt the nudge of a dream that won’t let go of you.   

✔ You’re craving more trust, clarity, or spiritual alignment. 

✔ You love books that meet you differently every time you read them.

This book is more than a story—it’s a soul whisper that calls you back to your dreams, your faith, and your deeper self.  

The True Reward Is Becoming


Book Review & Reflection by Lindsay Smith, LCSW

The Alchemist

By Paulo Coelho

Mood of the Book:

Reflective, Spiritual, and Quietly Powerful

5 Gems to Fuel Growth…

I am Christian and refer to God—this can be interchanged with Life, the Universe, your higher self. I believe these are all aspects of the same thing. Please take what fits for you and release anything that doesn’t resonate.

Keep saying yes to the dream that won’t let go of you. 

The shift I needed: I get to decide whether the obstacles stop me—or awaken the part of me that always believed more was possible. 

There’s something beautifully innocent about how we dream as children—we believe anything is possible. That belief doesn’t disappear with age; it just gets buried under fear, failure, and the world’s “realism.” But when our soul keeps calling us to something, it’s because it still matters. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away—it just makes life feel hollow. After selling my counseling centers, I had checked the boxes of a dream achieved, but the next one, the deeper one, wouldn’t leave me alone. It kept whispering, “There’s more for you.” And I knew I had to listen. 

Change will come, whether we want it or not. So why not choose the change that brings us closer to what we really want? Obstacles will come. So will fear, self-doubt, and the urge to play small. But I get to decide: let them stop me—or let them sharpen me. Because not trying? That hurts more than failing ever could. 

Let go of the timeline, not the vision. 

The shift I needed: The waiting isn’t empty—it’s often where the most meaningful transformation happens.

After I sold my counseling centers, I didn’t know what was next, and that kind of uncertainty used to send me into overdrive. In the past, I would’ve rushed to figure it out, create a plan, force momentum. But this time, I knew I was being called to do it differently. Even before the sale, I felt a deep invitation to surrender. To wait. To trust. And so I did. 

Instead of hustling for answers, I made space to listen. I prayed. I stayed open. And little by little, clarity began to arrive—not through control, but through trust and alignment. 

We live in a world that rewards speed, but the soul moves at the pace of divine timing. When I rush, I miss the signs. But when I allow the unfolding to happen in God’s timing, I don’t just land in the right place—I arrive more whole, more grounded, more ready. There’s deep wisdom in the waiting, even when it’s hard. And sometimes, the stillness is the most sacred part. 

Return to the present moment—it’s where your joy lives. 

The shift I needed: When I anchor myself in the now, I reconnect with gratitude, and life feels lighter, fuller, and more beautiful. 

So much of our mental energy gets spent rehashing the past or rehearsing the future. I know I do this—I revisit conversations, rethink decisions, worry about what’s ahead. But none of that brings joy. It brings stress, pressure, and disconnection. Joy lives in the present. In the breath you’re taking right now. In the warmth of sunlight, the comfort of a cozy blanket, the sound of laughter nearby. 

That doesn’t mean we ignore the past or stop planning for the future. But most of us are already overdoing both. What if we brought more of our attention back to this moment—this inhale, this feeling, this glimpse of beauty around us? 

When I do that, everything shifts. I’m calmer. Clearer. More alive. And when I ground myself in the present, appreciate this moment, and gently begin to improve it, something powerful happens: the future starts to improve too. The moment we’re in holds more peace and possibility than we think—when we’re willing to slow down enough to feel it. 

Peace isn’t found in certainty—it’s found in presence and trust. 

The shift I needed: Peace grows when we stop demanding clarity and start practicing trust.

Until very recently, I believed that if I could just know when things would happen—when I’d meet my person, when the money would come through, when the program would take off—I’d finally be able to relax. But life has rarely followed my timeline. And when things didn’t unfold the way I expected, I felt even more anxious, disappointed, and out of control. 

Now, I’m starting to see something different. I don’t have to know to feel secure. What’s meant for me will come in perfect timing. And trying to force or predict it only steals the peace that’s available in this moment. 

This is a brand-new belief I’m learning to trust—one I return to daily. It’s not fully rooted yet, but it’s growing. I still take action. I still move toward what I want. But I’m practicing how to do that while choosing to trust. 

And when I do, even for a moment, I breathe easier. I feel peace. And I get to enjoy life while I wait. 

The true reward isn’t just the dream, it’s who you become on the journey to reach it. 

The shift I needed: Life will test us before it blesses us, not to break us—but to build us into who we’re meant to be.

This journey I'm on—this in-between place where so much is unknown—has tested me in more ways than I imagined. Just when I thought I was doing everything right, just when I thought the reward was finally arriving, the door slammed shut. A house I had prayed for and waited on for over four years was suddenly gone… not because of a better offer, but because the seller decided he didn’t like me. I was heartbroken. But somewhere in the middle of that pain, I had a revelation: this wasn’t punishment—it was preparation. 

I’m not just being asked to wait. I’m being asked to become. To become the woman who trusts deeper, who lets go of her need for control, who embraces the mystery and believes that God’s plans are still good. That moment reminded me: the universe doesn’t just deliver our dreams when we’re ready to receive them—it helps shape us into the person who can carry them well. 

It’s not just about where I’m going. It’s about who I’m becoming on the way. 

My 3 Core Ratings (1-5)

This book came into my life at the exact right moment. It’s a beautifully written story filled with spiritual symbolism, philosophical depth, and quiet encouragement. Some parts are abstract, but that openness allows the deeper meaning to land differently depending on where you are in your life. 

The shifts this book sparked were deep. It invited me to trust more, force less, and listen differently. The lessons linger, asking to be returned to, not rushed through. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read again at different points in your life—because each time, it speaks to something new.

These aren’t tips you jot down and implement tomorrow. They’re truths that need space to sink in. The lessons here require reflection and practice—but if you’re willing to engage with them, they’ll work on you in powerful, lasting ways.

Mic Drop Moment:

That’s what alchemists do. They show that when we strive to become better than we are,
everything around us becomes better, too.”

– Paulo Coelho

Notes, Nudges & Nuggets:

✔ Don’t overthink the signs—just start noticing. Guidance rarely shouts; it whispers in patterns, nudges, and synchronicities. 

✔ Life tests us just before it blesses us—not to punish, but to prepare. Keep going when the doubts are loudest. You’re closer than you think.

✔ The world around you changes as you do. Want more love, peace, or clarity in your life? Start becoming the person who holds those things within. 

✔ You already know more than you think. Sometimes, the path isn’t about learning more—it’s about remembering what your soul has always known. 

If you’re thinking about picking up this book – or doing any Amazon shopping – clicking through my link helps support future reviews at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Final Reflection:

You’re not meant to force it. You don’t have to know exactly how it all plays out.
You just have to keep listening, trusting, and showing up as the version of you who’s ready.

_________________________

Trust the timing. Honor the nudges. Keep becoming.

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