Kyleigh Miller

OGL 482

Unit 2 Book Project

Introduction

During my career journey, I have had many times where I’ve questioned if I was doing

the right thing for my growth. There were several times where I felt that I had made a wrong

turn, or that I missed an opportunity. As I look back on my journey after reading “The

Alchemist”, I can see that overall, every choice and direction I have taken so far has led me to

where I need to be.

The Alchemist

This book was such a pleasure to read. In the beginning of the book, I couldn’t see how it

could relate to leadership in very many ways. Honestly, when I saw the title of the book on the

preapproved list, I was confused just by the title itself. It took the first twenty pages or so before

I really started to understand the deeper meaning.

Before we discuss the connections between the book, leadership, and my past and future

career journey, I would like to briefly speak of just the book. This novel deserves recognition in

its’ own right. Understanding that the version I read was a translation, I might have missed some

of the author’s original wordings. It was an easy-to-read book. I never once felt bored and found

myself flying through the pages (which is a rare occurrence for myself). Each chapter allowed

for the mind to paint a beautiful picture of the story. It also did a great job teaching of different
cultures and religions. I am thankful I chose this book because now I have a great novel to add to

my bookshelf.

After finishing the book, I can also see how it can be relatable to many different areas of

one’s life. Growth, love, and deeper meaning can be pulled from the morales of this story. It’s

one of those classics that I believe everyone can and could relate to on some type of level. There

were actually a few parts where I could feel myself tearing up, just because I could relate to the

words I was reading so deeply. (Coelho, 2014)

Past

As I go into the comparison of the novel and my leadership journey, I will start with the

beginning. When I was in school and began to see that I naturally took the leadership role within

my school project groups. Most of the time, many of my classmates either were not interested in

helping to form decisions or weren’t good at it. I used to just sit idly and wait for someone else to

speak up. Sometimes I would also just agree with what everyone else said and keep my opinions

to myself. It took time for my self confidence to grow.

When I got into high school, things became different. I started to trust in my instinct more

often, and I began to believe that I had the ability to give practical and insightful opinions and

alternatives. Sophomore year’s history class, I was placed in a group for a project, and no one

knew what the do. We all sat around, asking one another questions, trying to figure out how to

tackle the project fairly and efficiently. Eventually, I started offering suggestions and it soon

became that I was saying “We should do this because it makes the most sense”, and surprisingly,

my team agreed with me. After that, they would ask my opinion before making decisions and I
noticed they began relying on me to delegate certain tasks to our project team members. I had

unknowingly, at the time, become a team leader for the first time that I can remember.

At the beginning of “The Alchemist”, the shepherd was sure of his place in society. He

was just a shepherd, and he was content with it. Only after having his world shaken by a dream,

was he able to see himself in a different way. It was scary for him at first, and he felt unsure of

himself in his new roles. But as time progressed, he found himself surer of his decisions and his

abilities. (Coelho, 2014) That’s how I feel looking back at my past. I was set in my ways and

was content with being the shy and quiet girl who just went with the flow. My close friends knew

me to be more outgoing, but in public, and mostly in school, I was reserved.

Once my classmates started to notice that I was good at leading a team project though,

they would suggest me to be the leader in our projects. It didn’t matter what class, what grade or

who I was with. Someone always said “I heard she did a good job on (insert class)’s project last

year. I think Kyleigh should do it.” While I was flattered at first, it became a little tiring after a

while. I remember thinking, even if leadership comes naturally to me, is this something that I

even want to pursue? I debated on putting up the act that I wasn’t good at it so that I wouldn’t be

suggested again. However, my pride got in the way of that.

Going forward through school, I worked on my communication and organization skills

within my team projects. I would bring tables and templates to help others with their portions,

and would often offer to stitch the work together for the final turn in. It became satisfying for me,

in some way. Not because people would come to me for it, but because I was able to do it and do

it well. The shepherd boy found himself skilled at many of the things he learned to do throughout

the book. While he was uneasy at first, he always reflected on himself and thought of how he

couldn’t understand why he was so nervous.

 Present

For the present portion, I am at an awkward stalemate with my growth. Sort of a plateau,

until I can begin the next stage of my journey. I mainly slowed my momentum because of

college and my two young children. While my leadership journey is important to me, I am

learning leadership skills through many other areas of my life too.

In recent years, I was a shift supervisor for Starbucks for many years. In comparison to

“The Alchemist”, this would be my glass keeping job. I am great at “polishing the crystals” but I

cannot stay here because it isn’t helping me in my growth anymore. (Coelho, 2014) There’s

nothing particularly wrong with my job, it’s just not what I need in my life right now. As the

shepherd was also faced with the decision to either go back to what’s comfortable or to move

forwards to the unknown, I am also facing that.

I can continue my career at either Starbucks or within the food industry. I could easily

become a store manager for a restaurant chain somewhere. I know I have the knowledge and

skill. This would be like the shepherd returning home and building his herd again. However, it’s

not what my heart truly wants. The familiarity of going back to what I know I’m good at, or to

move forwards to something new is a hard decision. In the end, the shepherd boy decides to

move forwards and to make the trip to the Pyramids to find the treasure. (Coelho, 2014)

Starbucks was and still is my middle ground. Either I can turn back to what I’m

comfortable with, or I can branch out with my new degree and try something new, somewhere

new. While the second option seems riskier (I don’t like taking risks), it’s also imperative to

realize that nothing will ever change if change is not made. And if it turns out that it’s not
something I want to do, at least I can say I tried. I don’t think I could live with never knowing,

which is something the shepherd boy also thought.

Future

The future is a completely blank book for me currently. Not only do I feel I am

wandering in my professional life, but also in my personal life. I know what I want to do, but I

either don’t know how to do it, or if I want to even try. The possibility of failure paralyzes me.

This book brought a lot of those relations out to me. When I was reading it, I could tell that I was

picking the safer choices. The ones with the least amount of risk. However, this book even

speaks of how love (the deepest and purest form of love) shouldn’t hold you back from your

dreams. If it’s true, it’ll wait for you to return from your journey. (Coelho, 2014)

So, what am I afraid of doing? Honestly, anything that isn’t what I’ve already done. I

have been a supervisor in the food industry only. I have worked in merchandising, but I was

never in a leadership role. I worry about being able to learn and master different aspects of

different retail. I worry if my work pace won’t match the new pace. I worry if my knowledge

level won’t be enough. I worry if my work experience won’t be enough. As I said above, it

would be easier for me to find another job in the food industry. But how would this help my

development? Perhaps learning how to write a schedule, participate in professional meetings,

interview, and hire new staff, lead a store of team members and other store manager

responsibilities. But when I look at that, aren’t these things I can learn in other industries as well?

Looking at it with a broader spectrum, I would say yes, it is. I can gain this experience

elsewhere too. So, in the end, it’s just my own mind telling me that I should stay where I’m

comfortable, even if it won’t give me what I’m seeking for fulfillment. In my opinion, this is
how resentment of your job can begin. If you choose to stay at your current position because it’s

safe, then you become complacent and then bored. When you no longer feel fulfillment from

your work, you can feel annoyed with it. More negative feelings can be built until you genuinely

hate your job. I don’t want it to get to that level. What’s worse, is I can feel some of those

negative feelings coming on within the past few months.

Following the braveness of the shepherd, I should follow the “omens” and find a new job.

(Coelho, 2014) A career that will allow my knowledge and abilities to expand. Somewhere that I

feel passionate about. And while I might not find that immediately, I can hope that my next few

steps on my journey will get me closer to that end “treasure”. Hoping isn’t enough, I need to

believe and trust that it will (as “The Alchemist” has taught me). Having faith within my own

journey and abilities that I currently possess are extremely important.

Am I the Shepherd?

Relating myself to the shepherd boy isn’t too hard. His journey is like mine since he

started off with being mastery at his current profession. He was swayed by his dream, which I

assumed meant that he was already becoming complacent and bored with his lifestyle and job.

He knew what he wanted, but it didn’t seem to be satisfying anymore. He even met a woman he

wanted to marry. However, when given the chance to meet with her again, he decided that his

opportunity was too great to pass up.

While I can say I don’t think I’m as much of a risk taker, I can see the value in the way

the shepherd behaves. He does a great job at giving the reader courage and curiosity. I do wonder

what else is out there beyond my current job. What else am I truly capable of? Can I do even

more, should I do even more, or should I just stay here? What is the treasure that I want to search
for? It could be better pay, a new town to move to, better job security, better benefits (for myself

and my children) or better leadership growth opportunities. The possibilities are endless if you

think about the what ifs. Should I be more like the shepherd, or should I take the stories of

bravery and keep them in mind for a time that I feel I need them more? Who’s to say I must

make that leap right now?

These are all questions I wondered to myself while reading “The Alchemist”. I imagine

many others did too. I would say a lot of us, if not all of us, can relate deeply with the shepherd

boy. You think you have your life figured out, but then something happens that is hard to ignore,

hard to pass up, and you’re left with a decision.

I would say I am like the shepherd boy. I have reached the moment in my life where I feel

that I should take the risk and start a new journey. I will have rest stops (so to speak) along the

way where I will surely pick up a few new skills here and there. And even in the end, if I have to

go back to the beginning, I will have gained so much knowledge that I can hopefully look at my

current profession in a new light. “The Alchemist” is all about experience. Experiencing life,

experiencing the new and taking risks. Acting with confidence and bravery when you’re faced

with uncertainty and learning from your mistakes. Not letting life beat you down when bad

things happen to you, and persevering when it gets hard. These are all aspects that a great leader

should have.

At first, I would say that I was not the shepherd. I was frozen in place, hesitant to make

one move in fear it would be the wrong one. I didn’t want to use my voice because I didn’t want

to be heard saying or doing the wrong thing. I didn’t see it as a learning experience, I only saw it

as a chance to embarrass myself. Once I got over that and realized that everyone was in the same

position, I was in at one point in their lives, it became easier to take those chances. While I didn’t
change overnight, slowly, and surely, I could see it from within myself. I was surprised at my

willingness to speak up, to express my ideas with confidence and to defend myself when I knew

I made a great decision for my team.

Conclusion

“The Alchemist” was such a wonderfully inspiring story. While it took you on a visionary

trip across the desert, it also taught many lessons along the way. While on the surface one may

look at it in speaking in a religious way, alchemy focuses more on the idea of everything that is,

was everything as well. Essentially, everyone and everything are connected by the same force.

And because of that, there’s always a way, sometimes it just might be harder and requires a

greater amount of faith. Not specifically faith in a God or a religion, but mostly in yourself.

A great leader always trusts in their own judgement and their own abilities. They know

that their journey is never truly over, and even when they reach “the end”, they’ll find a way to

continue. You should never think you can learn a new method or a new skill, because the world

is ever changing, therefore, your leadership abilities should too. Sometimes if you find things

aren’t going the way you want them to, you should find what your instincts are saying.

Leadership also requires being able to look into oneself and find your own strengths and

weaknesses. Being open and honest with everyone, especially yourself. Once you can let down

all the walls, and soak in all that’s around you (not adopt it, but recognize and truly see it), you

will find that there are opportunities for learning and improvement everywhere.

I am excited to find ways to incorporate these lessons into my leadership journey. On my

way, I will find many “treasures” and embark on my own “Personal Legend”. (Coelho, 2014)

While I do, I will leave my knowledge to inspire others while they’re on their own journey too.
 References

Coelho, P. (2014). The Alchemist. Harper One.