I didn’t know that my life was about to change forever. I suppose, in those types of moments, you never do.

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I was at a one of the mountain parks near my home in Colorado with my two young kids. I brought a picnic lunch, which the kids quickly gobbled up. Now they were happily scrambling around… climbing on some big rocks and playing in the forest.

I was seated at a picnic table. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was out, but I was in the shade of a pine tree. In my hands I held a slim, hardcover book that I hadn’t started reading yet.

Little did I know when I opened that book that it would quickly transport me to another world… and inspire me to start a business that would help tens of thousands of people, make me a fortune, and eventually change the way business was done on the Internet.

But back then I couldn’t have had a more humble setting. At the time I was Mr. Mom – I was a stay-at-home-dad… the primary caregiver for my kids. My total personal income for the previous five years was exactly zero dollars. I had quit my corporate job, and my wife was supporting the family. I liked spending so much time with my kids, but there was definitely a gaping hole in my life. I felt the drive to create something, but I didn’t know what… and I didn’t know where to begin. I was paralyzed.

The book I was holding in my hands was a book that my wife had given me. That’s not necessarily a good sign… since we don’t tend to share the same taste in books. But this one was different, and it was about to change the course of my life.

It’s a good thing that there was nothing menacing in the woods, and that my kids did a good job fending for themselves… because I can’t say I was the most attentive father that day. As soon as I opened the book, I was completely consumed by it.

That book that changed everything for me was “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. It doesn’t seem like an impressive book when you pick it up. It’s a short book, and it’s very easy to read. It’s not about marketing, or business… or even personal development.

Instead, it’s a parable about how to live your life and pursue your dreams. And the journey the book takes you on… well, it made a huge impact on my life.

Now I’ve had many mentors over the last 15 years or so – and I’ve written about some of them on this blog. And they’ve all helped me in various ways… but it was Paulo Coelho and the mysterious Alchemist that was there at the beginning and gave me permission and faith to pursue my dreams.

Paulo is a wildly successful and influential author. He’s sold over 140 million books. He has 6,605,086 likes on Facebook. He has 2,396,203 followers on Twitter. He clearly influences a lot of other people (in addition to me.)

And now, in another one of those cases of things circling back for me… one of my best friends – Brendon Burchard – is interviewing Paulo on a live teleseminar. That’s a really big deal – to show you just how significant that is… Paulo is only doing two interviews in the U.S. this year – one is with the New York Times and the other is with Brendon.

I’m going to be on the call – because I’m a fan of Paulo Coelho… and because I want to hear from someone who has had such amazing success in his life (and become so amazingly influential.)

You can register for the call FOR FREE at this link:

CLICK HERE for Paulo Coelho and Brendon Burchard

Go register now… this is going to be unlike any other call you’ve been on – I can’t wait to hear Brendon’s interview with Paulo… it’s not going to be about marketing, and there isn’t going to be anything for sale. But with what this man has accomplished in his life and the people he’s impacted… well I can’t wait to hear the wisdom he has to share…

Best regards,
Jeff

P.S. And now you know the “why” behind the name of my company – Internet Alchemy, Inc… I named it after the book that inspired everything.

P.P.S. It’s sorta funny… things have come full circle in some ways, and they’re very different in other ways. I’ve now read most of Paulo Coelho’s books. And obviously, the circumstances of my life are very different. My kids are a lot older now. My wife was able to retire long ago to be a Mom. My business has grown to levels that I never could have dreamed.

But this past spring I opened another of Paulo’s books. Once again, I was with my family in a lovely place out in nature. But this time I was on a 44-foot sailboat that I had chartered for a week in the British Virgin Islands. Once again I was transported away to another world when I started reading the book. And once again I was inspired.

I can’t wait to hear what Paulo has to say to Brendon.

P.P.P.S. There are lots of inspiring books out there. I’m not sure why “The Alchemist” was the one that did it for me… but I’ve gone back to read it several times since that first time out in the woods with my kids. It really resonates with me. But I’m curious… what books have inspired you?

JeffWalker.com

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