The Privilege of Becoming Who You’re Meant to Be

A few months ago, I watched a video titled “Beware of Unearned Treasure – Lessons from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.” Having already read the book, the message really resonated with me — so much so that I ended up rewatching the video four times.

Imagine reading a story like this:

Once upon a time, there was a prince born into countless riches. He got everything he ever wanted. When he wished for a soulmate, the perfect woman appeared. When he wished to be wise, every book was edited so that he was the author. Everyone showered him with praise, he got everything he ever wanted, and he lived happily ever after.

The end.

How did you feel reading that? Inspired? Moved? Probably not - and that's because the essence of every great story is transformation.

It’s not about the destination but the experience of the journey. It’s not about the reward itself but about becoming the person who is worthy of receiving that reward.

As we grow and evolve, the world around us shifts too. Everything given must be earned; everything taken has a price. The Alchemist is one of my favourite books precisely because it illustrates this truth. Without spoiling too much: after a long and difficult journey, the main character discovers the treasure he was seeking was right under his feet, where his journey began.

Why?

Because the treasure was never the point — the journey itself was the treasure. Every challenge the main character faced transformed him into the person who could finally recognize, receive, and appreciate what was waiting for him all along.

“The reward for our work is not what we get, but who we become.”

This is one of my favourite quotes because it reminds me that every challenge we face is an invitation to grow. Without the struggle, the treasure loses its meaning. Wisdom and knowledge aren’t meant to be handed to us — they are meant to be earned through discipline, reflection, and experience. Knowing something is not the same as understanding it. You can read the last page of a book, but you won’t feel the ending unless you’ve lived the chapters.

Transformation through the journey is the heart of every great story — and of every great life.

This is why “unearned treasure” can actually sabotage us. Think of the people who win the lottery without being prepared for that level of wealth — many end up bankrupt, broken, and worse off than before. Without the growth that comes from the experience, the reward becomes a burden.

And yet, we live in a world of shortcuts — instant validation from social media, AI doing our homework, quick hacks that promise success without the work. But easy rewards come with hidden costs: skills left undeveloped, resilience left untested, and a shallower sense of fulfillment.

The real reward lies in choosing the harder path — the one where you sacrifice comfort and grow into the person you were meant to be. It might not bring you money or recognition right away, but what you gain is far more valuable: wisdom, courage, self-respect, and the joy of living a life true to yourself.

There’s a saying: “Hell is the place where the person you are meets the person you could have been." Perhaps heaven is the place where you become the person you were truly meant to be.

To be wise. To be courageous. To be at peace. To live with no regrets.

This is what is within your grasp.

Remember: the reward for our work is not what we get — but who we become.

And that, I believe, is the privilege of a lifetime: to become who you were truly meant to be.