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Today I received this box and inside of it I found my new book « The Winner is Alone » – the Brazilian edition that is coming out now in my country – and in the rest of the world throughout 2009.
As it always happens, I felt very excited about it – throughout the process of writing the book as well as seeing the physical object. It feels like a new baby and I still have the same feeling that I had when I released my first book “The Pilgrimage” in 1987.
So here’s my question of the week: What type of work gives you pleasure?
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Não sei se Paulo Coelho, lê cada uma dessas mensagens deixadas aqui, acho mais porovável que não, porém me arrisco a deixar uma, imaginando que uma vez pelo menos, a pessoa a quem eu tanto dou ouvidos, pode estar em algum momento conhecendo meu ponto de vista também, tão comum porém tão meu.
Imagino as milhares de declarações fanáticas que um escritor deste porte recebe ao longo dos dias, mas mesmo assim vamos em frente.
Tenho 22 anos e li apenas 6 de suas obras, de todas a que mais me identifiquei foi “Veronica Decide Morrer” (não acho q citar isso seja necessário mas me deu vontade), confesso q na maioria delas me surpreendia e me entendia melhor ao ver que mtas coisas q passavam pela minha cabeça e eu julgava ser loucura, podem ser absolutamente normais em outras partes do mundo, ou msm na casa ao lado. Outras vz custei a aceitar certos trechos q mais tarde realmente passei a repudiar… mas seja nos trechos em que mais me encontrei ou nos trechos em que menos me encontrei, sei que tive portas abertas para novos horizontes.
Não sei se vc é um mago, ou um cara que tem o dom de fazer-se ouvir, mas sei que sou sua leitora. Não sou fanática por sua vida, por tanto, talvez não conheça nem um terço do que mtas pessoas q vizitam seu blog, conheçem a seu respeito. Apenas admiro seu trabalho. Sei que nada do que falei aqui é novidade, e sei tb que não passará de mais uma declaração entre milhares, mas para minha satisfação pessoal, foi interessante escrever.
Dearest Paulo
How wonderful to still get the same sense of excitement and pleasure from your new ‘baby’. For me I feel my greatest pleasure which also never fades is when I do a card reading for someone who listens to the guidance this awe inspiring tool of the divine offers them and uses it to change their lives for the better. To empower another being and watch them grow is a sight I truly never tire of seeing.
The Brightest of Blessings to you and yours xoxo
I read a few of your books. Thanks for writing them, and I hope to read all your other books. You are a gifted man!!!
I have a question, and it has to do with your faith. Are you a practicing Catholic? And if so, where do you attend church?
It seems you have a close association with Mary, and I was wondering if she has helped you become a writer, and if so how?
I look forward to hearing your reply.
God Bless and Peace!
I like to learn new things all the time. Any work i find interesting and fascinating makes me feel happy.
Prostitution!
Syl xx
PS thank you so much for your book ‘Eleven Minutes’
x
Work i enjoy… I enjoy cleaning – there is satisfaction in the cleared surfaces and fresh sheets, I also enjoy weeding, barking gardens and lawn mowing. Mostly I enjoy cooking for other people, I like feeding people.I am applying for jobs at the moment in the law, I want the trademark attorney job…. protecting ideas, brands and intellectual property … I think I will enjoy this work.
I look forward to your next book.
Tener mi propia empresa y no depender de nadie realizando un trabajo creativo y estando en contacto con gente.
Estuve a punto de hacerlo una vez y no era el momento.
Espero tener una buena idea la cual llevar a la practica y tener ilusión que también me falta.
Un beso Paulo
i receive pleasure when i see people become liberated from their stress, frustration and limitations. I share breathing techniques, yoga and meditation as well as practical life knowledge with youth and young adults. A group of colleagues and I just returned from working with 140 young adults in Haiti, I’ve never felt so rewarded than when the youth shed tears of gratitude as we the instructors did the same.
Perhaps this is leading away from the question, but…
My work? It’s not my work that keeps me alive – other than feeding me ;-)
What keeps me alive? valuing death; understanding how fragile our existence really is. That is what keeps me alive.
i learnt to surf at an early age; i learnt to sail too. These were my first forays into a vast world of adventure, forever chasing the uncatchable, chasing a phantom and relentlessly pushing the boundaries. Failure has played the bigger part of success in understanding self.
Example: One summers day, at around ten years of age, i attempted to sail across the Bristol channel, a stretch of water wedged between england with wales, in a tiny wooden dinghy – i’d seen the land on the other side; i knew it was england and i wanted to reach it. ultimately i failed and, together with my friend, was washed back up on the rugged welsh shores, rather shaken up. I knew it was a foolish undertaking but it taught me something that, at that time, i didn’t quite understand. Years, and many adventures later, i found myself caught in poor weather on the Freney pillar, the legendary southern route up Mont Blanc – i’m sure my life passed before me on more than 3 occasions, though the clarity of the situation remains weak to this day.
Don’t get me wrong, i’m not looking for death, on the contrary, following both occasions, as with many others, i resolved that life was beautiful and endlessly rich; something to be embraced and cherished.
In more recent years, my fanaticism for activities like paragliding have enforced my views.
If there’s no rough, i guess you can’t appreciate the smooth…
Hi,
I work as a video game programmer but still don’t know why it gives me such a pleasure. Complete mistery.
T.
ler os teus livros já é algo que gosto.
Paulo o meu trabalho não me dá prazer.
tenho muitas coisas que me dão prazer, mas o trabalho não é uma delas.
I am lucky in that I find pleasure in doing well almost everything that I do. The search for perfection and being the best and most effective at everything that I do is what keeps me interested in everything I do.
Outside of my normal doings like being a good father, husband and friend I get the most joy out making music and “producing” it in my PC and in building/painting electric guitars.
My work keeps me alive through the constant opportunity to literally touch people physically and be open emotionally to them – to try to be a healer. I am a dermatologist and am fortunate to see all ages from the very young to the fragile elderly. My hands touch their skin in hopes of knowing what they need whether it be surgical, medicines or most importantly my presence and openess to be a vehicle for their pain and suffering. I learn from them as they open their hearts to me and seek healing. This is the gift I have been given.
I am a high school senior and have only recently learned how much I love learning. What gives me pleasure is when I realize I just read, saw or was told something and I knew to question it.
Dearest Paolo,
Teaching children how to paint, to cook, to do math, or to play sports gives me so much energy and pleasure.
But my question: Why do I (or others) succumb to the high-paying, high-pressure, non-fullfilling roles?
xxx k
As vezes me sinto como uma resolvedora de problemas nata, sinto que nada pode me impedir mas, quando se trata de realização profissional fico meio perdida. Eu gosto de estudar linguas estrangeiras, ouvir alguém falando numa linha eslava ou nordica e ficar pensando “que linha é essa”. Só não sei bem onde encaixar isso na minha vida prática. Te dou meu parabéns, acho que vc conseguiu fazer o que queria, apesar de todas essas críticas academicistas. Fiquei longe dos teus livros um longo tempo por causa dessas críticas mas, quando comecei a ler novamente eu gostei do que li, e é isso o que me importa, um abraço.
Hi Paulo
Congratulation for your new book!Can’t wait for that to came out in USA ,or maybe I will get the Brazilian version =). Besides many things that I do at work one of the things that gives me more pleasure is to make the preserves and jam that we sell at the bakery where I work and several farmers market as well ,Stirring the fruit in big copper pots feels like you are creating a special magical potion that smells so great !!! and after hear the feedback from costumers wow that is an outstanding jam …is very pleasurable …well any thing you make with love will came out with outstanding results and gives pleasure during the process .
Peace
Pri
Caro senhor, sempre quiz escrever-lhe mas sempre fiquei acanhada, com medo de erros gramaticais, ou de escrever besteiras pra um homem tão renomado!
Somente desejo todas as felicidades do mundo,ou ao menos aquelas que me proporciona ao ler seus livros!
Con cariño
Alzira.
best work i’ve had, loved doing it but never got paid to do it and even get scolded? hmm…up to now, it has always been playing role-playing vid games with a taste of adventure and saving the world all over again! some may call it just a hobby or unproductive time-killer, but really, it’s a learning experience. For me, it’s literature and I love learning! :D
Dear Paulo,
that’s an excellent question and made me think a lot. First I considered the meaning of the word ‘work’. The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defined work as “an activity, such as a job, which a person uses physical or mental effort or do, usually for money” I also found the following: “something created as a result of effort, especially a painting, book or piece of music”.
Recently I put a lot of effort in developing and finding myself. Each book I read, each movie I watch is an excellent character training. The hard work starts when you have to apply these things in your own life. This kind of work gives me pleasure as I have to create the best of myself.
Many thanks for your books, which gave me a lot of ‘work to do’ :)
Have a great week,
Angie
A job that would bring me Joy would be one where I could bring my dog with me while I am working. If, for example, I am looking after an elderly, or a child at his/her home, then I like to live there with my dog; live and work in the same place.
I don´t like when I have had to go out to work looking after someone and I have had to leave my dog alone for long hours. Is like if I were leaving my soul and my Heart. My body go to work that´s true, but my soul remain far away, where my dog is. And then I am sad all the time because I know he would prefer to be with me (or with someone else) but playing and interacting with others not alone untill I return. He doesn´t like that, at it is cruel.
Cuando uno ha recibido muchos golpes, ¿cómo se puede recuperar la pureza, la inocencia?
¿Puede alguien decírmelo, por favor?
everything i do with my hands, my passion, my heart – it doesn’t matter if it’s painting, writing, filming or playing the saxophone or washing the dishes
if i make it to the most important thing in this moment it awakens the child in me
Estimado Paulo Coelho, debo felicitarlo por ser siempre valiente y compartir sus emociones, deseos y proyectos con nosotros, estando dispuesto a leer nuestras opiniones y de cierta manera ayudarnos a ver una realidad verdadera pero que muchos olvidamos, contestando su pregunta:
A mi me gustan muchas cosas, me gustaría trabajar en algo donde siempre esté aprendiendo, para no transformarlo en rutina, me gusta ser creativa y espontánea, sentirme libre y no una esclava, me gusta escribir, viajar, cocinar, comer y conocerme más, al experimentar la diversidad, para ser mejor de lo que soy.
También quisiera devolver de algún modo, lo que estoy y estaré aprendiendo. Aún no se que trabajo será ese pero lucharé por encontrarlo.
greeting Dear Mr Coelho..hope all is well with U…
…
*when i feel it by whole my heart that at a moment God puts his hands in mine and protect me against the troubles and obstacles…
*whenever i am able to decode the secrets and signals which God has put in the world around me…
*when i encounter my better part of soul and when she shows me herself and giudes me with my things in my life…
*when i do something that make me have a good feeling of myself and make me smile with whole my being…
*when i see that my smile or hand can give pleasure to others…
*and ofcourse when i read a book , for instance a novel like The Alchemist and i imagin myself in place of the hero , when i enter the current of the story and become a part of it,
*these kind of works give me a reall pleasure in my life …
*have shining days and even colorful moments …
Soudi
Iran
work that gives me satisfaction not only for myself but especially for others.
i loove your books paulo. God bless you!
There are many definitions of what “work” is, but for me, I’ll say it is something that I must do to survive, or keep the lifestyle that I have right now. For me, my pleasure comes from cooking. There is an excitement in creating something for my family to enjoy – an anticipation and a reaction. I enjoy making meals for my children and watching them eat – the sounds they make, messy faces. I especially find pleasure if it is something new that they enjoy, or a modification of a previously loved recipe. It makes the clean-up worthwhile. ;)
The target should be that whatever You do try to enjoy about what you are doing and find joy, happiness & pleasure around You. If we just concentrate on the time offered for the issues which gives the most pleasure for us, we waste a lot of our time and not see and study what is happening around us. This morning I used public transportation to work, car not available, inside the 40 min bus trip could be easily realise that many persons were allready in their workplace, they were not there inside the bus, just sitting silent without any living sign in eyes. What I suggest that everybody tries to find the happiness and pleasure even from the everyday routines. Everyday will give us the feeling of pleasure !
Hay dos trabajos que me llenan mucho y me dan mucho placer, uno como odontopediatra; cuando veo irse a los niños con una sonrisa o regresan diciendome que ya tenían ganas de verme, para mi es lo maximo, y otro trabajo que me da ese placer son todas las cosas que hago creando en mi computadora. Me hacen muy feliz las dos cosas.
Me intriga e admira sua história.
Hoje, com 25 anos, estou começando minha jornada e é muito bom ver onde desaguou a vida de muitas pessoas.
Há pouco tempo voltei ao Brasil de um período sabático na Holanda e me orgulhava ver seus livros nas prateleiras de lá.
Sou arquiteta e boxeadora. Saber da sua vontade de patrocinar um boxeador me animou a escrever essa carta.
Lendo sua entrevista à Revista Claudia, pensei em como é engraçado esses motivos que nos damos para adiar um compromisso. Essa carta facilmente seria um deles…
Mas é bom saber que todos sofremos com os mesmos impulsos e comodidades.
Não sei exatamente como funciona o incentivo ao boxe feminino em outros países, mas no Brasil, como se sabe, qualquer coisa que não seja futebol masculino anda às duras penas.
Acho que o fato de este ainda não ser um esporte olímpico desanima muitas garotas, pois sem um objetivo claro, praticamos a luta apenas pelo prazer.
Não luto há muito tempo, mas sou boa no que faço. Desde o começo me dedico buscando a profissionalização, porém conciliar arquitetura e boxe é atividade pesada e às vezes não me dedico tanto quanto gostaria ou deveria.
Acredito que muitas pessoas acharam seus anjos na vida, alguns encontros ainda estão por vir, outros nunca acontecerão…
Patrocinar um atleta é permitir não só que seu sonho, mas também seu propósito de vida seja realizado.
Não adie esse compromisso!
Jabs,
Ieda
Some moments are sad and happy at the same time and make me feel so happy it sometimes brings a tear to my eyes. To be present and listen to an individual, and make a difference in this persons life, is very fulfilling. One example is, I had to bid farewell to a lady, a single mother with eight children, who I had seen for one hour each week for one year. She had shared everything with me, how she was sexually abused by her step dad, and then by her husband and his son and now tried to kill herself because she couldn’t cope with the scary idea of being on her own away from abusive relationships. I made her laugh when I told her I called the police when my husband threw my prayer books around. She couldn’t believe I called emergency for this kind of “abuse”, when she had been beaten half to death, without ever calling 911. Also I talked to her about other abuse stories, how a friend of mine grew up being called “the poisonous dwarf” by his mother, and how this emotional abuse hurt him. Anyway, my lady, now had started in college, and is looking to finish a BA, and in my job I was being relocated to another town, and had to end the weekly support. I was nervous about how she would react and sorry not to be able to meet with her anymore. When I left her house, and I wished her best of luck with her new better life, she said; “You are leaving me in a better state than you found me”…… At that moment she was stronger than me, and I knew she will be ok on her own.
Dear Paulo,
I feel real pleasure when I lay in the grass, listening the insects singing; I feel I’m alive when I surrender myself to the sky, smell the wind and taste the rain.
I will reborn when all the atoms of my body will melt in the sea, be carried away with the waves and vapor in the sun; and so the leaves of tree, the blades of grass and singing birds will breath me.
Then, I’ll be complete!
Yours truly,
Magdalena
Hola Paulo!! Que alegría saber que ya tines un nuevo libro que prooonto (si Dios quiere) podré leer. Espero llegue pronto a Caracas. Lo que más me da placer en esta vida es tomar fotografias.. Por ahora es solo un hobby, pero nunca se sabe. También me encanta cocinar y fabricar buhos en fieltro. Colecciono buhos y ultimamente estoy dedicada a fabricar buhos de fieltro de varios modelos para agregar a mi colección. Creo que todo lo que hacemos si lo hacemos con amor debería de llenarnos de satisfacción. Aunque sea algo pequeño sin importancia.! Que Dios te siga iluminando. Besos mil y un gran abrazo… <
Creating music/art brings me joy.
The work that give me stisfacyion is the one in which I find satisfaction,might be something related to other people ,cultures,languages.Must be a work in which my efforts be recognized.For example I was involved in a commercial activity,I worked for an Italian coorporation,travelled a lot.Was amazing.Also i like to work in a field that implies brain,Art,Literature,Psychology.I have not found yet the exact job that would sui me 100 per cent,but I feel I am near.
Which work gives you pleasure?
Wouldn’t an activity that gives you pleasure would be your passion rather than just ‘work’. It is true that we should perform every action with equal enthusiasm, yet a human nature always differentiates between work and passion when it comes to enthusiasm. So would work would remain work if it starts giving you pleasure?
Apologies if there’s any mistake in my view. Thank you.
I don’t know which work make me happy but which type of work I know!It’s still difficult for me to understand this,i feel almost stoic after successful or unsuccessful completion of a task.I enjoy the time of struggle at work.I have just started my career as software engineer few months back.
The most exciting part of my work is when I am exposed to some new technology.The initial struggle to understand it,the fear of failure and then overcoming that fear.I have enjoyed my failures better than success.
I think WORK as it self make People happy because they feel useful.
On the other hand…not many people are happy with the work they do, although they make it and feel a part of this world.
Now in my case, its definitely writing, without wrtiting i couldnt express my self and find to my heart, so every word im writing is another piece of the way to my light.
And till the day i can live with writing, WORK as itself its only a means to an end……
Thank You
Rob
Greetings Paulo
I am at the moment at student but the work that would bring me alot of joy would be spreading trying to alleviate the pain of another through media
~
Desiree,India
Thanks Ninni Rebecca for your kind words, it really made my day! If you want to contact me, you can send me an email (carolinetamm@hotmail.com), I tried to send you a message on MySpace but since I’m not a member there, I couldn’t. Xox /Carro
Dear Paulo ,
I’m a huge fan of your inspiring thoughts and layout and although I haven’t read many of your books it just strikes me , teaches me a whole aspect and new measures to be sought and admired and questioned even .
What gives me the adrenaline rush and all the excitment , is when I get to offer a sick person the slightest hope or makes someone feel better , Im from Sudan , final year medical student , living the uncalculated moments. And generally to see my hard work paying off and sometimes surprising me , another thing is the surprise which is never to be calculated coincidences that are innovatin , certain moments which might or might not involve love , to see good take place in the appropriate way .. thats why I end choosing this carrier to give as many and offer comfort and serenity. Thank you sir for this open-ness that you bring about with every word you write and its really embracing and genuinely librating ..
I thrive to feel such impulses when i write, but it does not always rings that bell, cooking also works sometmies for an artistic person as I .
Thank you .. Love,
Rayan
Hi Paulo,
it’s the first time I’m writing in this blog. I’m from Italy. I love your books and I read them 2/3 times because I always find new feelings in them.
My job is selling brakes and clutches of industrial machinery and I feel pleasure when I find new customers. Sometimes is very difficult because you have to find out the suitable material for a special machinery. So you can work hard for months trying to do the best and when I have success I’m very happy.
At the same time I write poetry so when the inspiration is in my heart I put it in words. I love my poetry,I don’t know if they are good or not but I love them because they are part of my soul, part of me.
Ciao
Annamaria
Hello Paulo and everybody…okay, this was a tough one because I really love writing and I take pleasure seeing every work I write…however, I have to be honest, and after a lot of soul searching…I have to admit that cooking gives me so much pleasure. I am always happy when whatever I cook comes out exactly as I imagine it. I also get great pleasure from feeding people and watching them eat my food.
Alas, can it really be food?
Al momento non ho un lavoro….però trovo piacere e amo dipingere, fare fotografie, mi piace vedere il lavoro finito e mi da molta soddisfazione!!
I like to work on things where I have room to do something additional and apply my creativity and knowledge to the same. Some work which is intellectually stimulating:).
Thank you THELMA <3 AND THANK YOU PAULO <3 THANK YOU ALL <3
FOR SHARING. It means so much to me.
MUCH LOVE Ninni Rebecca
The joy of working in something that you like is very, very good and for me I guess, is also important the recognition, a collective charing of what was made.
I feel good when the work is alive with others.
The type of work I like most is related to the Visual Arts and Decorative arts.
Painting is complete ectsasy for me, every time I finish one a smile creeps across my face and I remember the highs and lows. I’m loving and living the process over again! The best part is that while I paint I have absolutely no idea how it’ll turn out, spontainety is the ruler in this art. I make a plan, but not so I can follow it, but more to inform my body of what I’m about to begin, to get physicaly prepared!
And when it is finished I look at it and recognise every stroke and movement, I feel as if everything, even the mistakes, were meant to be. It becomes the best I’ve done so far, and I always find my inner mistery in those sweet moments of peace. And I am glad.
I suddenly become aware of the hand that guided mine, and the hand of God is beautiful! Painting gives me pleasure, it’s not my hobby it’s my life, my world, my love!
I’m so happy Paulo wrote a new book, I’m already impatient to read it, already pondering over the title!
Thank you!
@ Ninni Rebecca. Thank you, my friend, for sharing the ‘you tube’ “Beautiful Mind” with us and remind us of the important things of life. LOVE, Thelma
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