By Paulo Coelho
One of the favorite questions of the journalists : ” now that you got everything you wanted, do you still have dreams?”
First, I didn’t get everything I wanted, although I got the most important things in life (love, fulfilling my personal legend, faith). Writing is a constant challenge, where you have to dig into your soul, having discipline, inspiration, and courage at the same time.
Second, like everybody else, I have my list of things that I want to do, and are still waiting. I don’t make “New Year’s” resolutions, but there are several unfulfilled tasks. I have enough time (contrary to the legend that famous people are always busy – they are not), I can afford, but I postpone.
Here is my list of things that I would love to do, and I never did. Would you please also share yours?
A]to learn how to dance well (from a 1 to 10 scale, I would say I am 2)
B] to learn how to play guitar ( from the same scale, I am definitely 1)
C] spend three months in a monastery, totally isolated from the world ( I already talked to the abbot three years ago, but I am always postponing)
D] a safari in Africa (politically incorrect, of course)
E] to sponsor a good boxer (I know it sounds politically incorrect, as the previous item, but boxing for me is the ultimate body dialogue)
F] to learn boxing myself
G] being in orbit circling the planet (the Russians are making a business out of it, but I never actually sought the information out)
H] to have dinner with Nelson Mandela (this one I tried, but I did not manage so far)
I] to fly a Mirage (as a passenger, of course)
While writing this list, I realized that I did most of the things I wanted (the most recent being a 9.280 kms train journey from Moscow to Vladivostok, in 2006). And probably I also have some other itens that are so hidden in my heart that I don’t even know. But just in case that I remember some more, I will update this list.
So, what are your “New Year” resolutions that you never ever managed to fulfill?
Welcome to Share with Friends - Free Texts for a Free Internet
Always good to read about boxing.
Can I ask though - how did you get this picked up and into google news?
Very impressive, is it something that is just up to Google or you actively created?
Obviously this is a popular blog with great data so well done on your seo success..
i have stop making new year resolutions but i do have a list of things that I want to do. One of them is going to Tibet. Like the Bumblebee blog you had, i always think that my health condition will not allow me to enjoy Tibet, or reach there at all, this “limiting” thoughts had therefore postpone my action, though i have not given up the thought of going. But then there are things that I’ve recently checked on my list, I’ve gone to Venice (the sinking city) before it sinks and the other being to discipline myself to exercise three times a week and practise my daily meditation. Life is good !
We all need our dreams to live …
My list of wishes and things I want to do is pretty long, from travelling all over the world, writing a book to hmmmm … chatting with Paulo Coelho ;)
But then again although would really like to make these dreams come true , it’s not all about how many kilometers have you crossed or have you learned sky diving during your lifetime either …
For me the true happiness is about living your life the way you want and the way you choose, with those you love and who love you and enjoying in all those little things many people nowadays don’t even notice or consider less important …
never forget to be a human, never forget giving a helping hand to those who need it, never forget to smile, be true to yourself and to others … live your life so at the end you can say ” … No, I have no regrets … yes, I’ve loved and I’ve been loved and I’m thankful for every moment I’ve lived on this planet”
Lots of love from Dijana
and best regards from Montenegro
not necessarily in this order
1) skydive
2) live in the wild
3) play guitar with the flamencos in Spain
4) travel…..ALOT!
5) find my Personal Legend
6) find Love
7) meet Bear Grylls
thats it up to this point…….well I would like to do the pilgrimage too..
Good luck with yours Paulo!
- learn to sing well
- travel, travel, travel
- open a bookstore business
- learn yoga (too lazy to try though)
- meet oprah and paulo coelho
- fulfill a stranger’s wildest dream
Ha, dreams… Too many to list but I try. Never exhaustive coz of the greediness of human nature! hee
Live amongst tango bars in Bueon Aires as long as I want.
Tango to manifest my femininity.
Have a partner who loves to tango
Show the disabled to feel music
Enable the disabled(not with bad limbs though) to tango
Interview any president of the US and the Pope on a satellite TV programme with confronting questions
Meet with great souls such as Che (unfortunately not this life) and Nelson Mandela to feel their aura and existence
See the corners of the world
Pad a emperor penguin and hug a whale
Be able to drive in big cities, etc.
i would like to meet God and have a long chat with him
Ah!!!! surabhi - I echo your desire also!
Things I would realistically like to do:
Write a book that grabs the heart and the world,
Travel to Europe and just stop where my heart says it felt good,
Travel one of the Pilgrimage walks in Spain,
Make better relationships with my children,
Give God more of my time,
Be a champion for children in underdeveloped countries,
Love myself a little better,
Fly more kites
Hug more people
My list is endless………
Blessings
Ooooh…..!!!! I think wishes, desire and dreams of human beings are endless…If you are a human being you can’t live without wishing…Day by day, time by time your wishes change.I’ll try to do the list of my wishes:
To have a lot of friends from different nationalities
To travel all over the world
To have my own big library
To learn water surfing
To find my loveeeeeee
To go to Mekke
And so on……………..
Yours Gulaya and my warm regards
from Baku, Azerbaijan
I am constantly adding to my list of things I want to do before i die - the latest being the pilgramige to Sandiago. I agree with Gulaya that it is part of the human spirit to be in a constant state of desire, wishing and dreaming. To want more, see more, experience more. In a wonderful world like ours, with so many magic, it would be impossible not to. I do however believe that the ultimate state of happiness is to be content. To not have what you want, but to want what you have.
I did find your blog very interesting Mr Coehlo. Being from South-Africa, I feel extremely honoured that 2 of the 10 things on your wishlist involve Africa. I sincerely hope you follow through your dream to have dinner with Nelson Mandela. It is one of my wishes too. He has taught a world, ruled by merciless, power-hungry dictators, the true meaning of leadership. He has taught the world about love and forgiveness. And as far as the safari go, i know you will enjoy it.
Living in village and breeding sheeps, far from place I live now (Istanbul), leaving that prison of something called ”love” when it can not be heal anymore.
My biggest dream is to have family, create it with man who has clean heart.
I love reading your stuff….but WOW! I was so surprised that the #2 on your list is learning to play guitar. This year was my 50th birthday and I just started guitar lessons. The funny thing is I never really even thought about it until recently…if someone had told me that I would be doing this a few years ago, I would not have believe them..my friends still don’t believe me!
i have lots of things which i wanna do before i die.
1. travel in a foreign land (country)
2. learn to speak spanish, french and japanese
3. explore my own country
4. learn how to ride a bike
5. learn how to swim
6. have a house of my own in a beach
where my parents can live peacefully
7. have a good relationship with the people around me
8. read all the books which i think is good
9. have a family of my own (in the future)
10. have more time with god.
thanks for making me realize that i still have lots of things to look forward to.
first of all, i want to thank you. you inspire me. i collect your books and reread them often. i was in a library when i read by the river piedra…i couldnt put it down and was able to finish it rapidly but vowed to read it again. years passed and i forgot all about it. until i bought the alchemist and realized i had to have the first book i read written by the same author.
i cried when i read the book again because, you see, sir, i closed my heart to loving. i was deeply hurt by someone before that i vowed to myself that i would never give any man the satisfaction of knowing how i felt.
i felt constraining myself from loving fully had made me miss many opportunities of loving and being loved back in return.
because of this, i'm listing here that one of my unfulfilled desire is to love fully and to be loved fully in return.
I read” by the river piedra” and walked all the way home reading it.
I ended up in a protestant temple and I prayed ,first time I had ever set feet in a church in a long time….