Following Your Personal Legend: Shikha Mittal on Courage, Failure & The Wisdom of The Alchemist

“When you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe.” 

Most business books teach us how to lead teams, build products, raise capital, or scale organizations. But some of the most powerful lessons about leadership come from unexpected places. 

In a recent Silicon Dreams conversation, Priti Padmanabhan sat down with Shikha Mittal, Senior Director of Product Management at VMware, to discuss The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Unlike the typical business books featured on the show, The Alchemist is a work of fiction. Yet its lessons on dreams, courage, intuition, and self-belief resonate deeply with entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone navigating uncertainty in their personal or professional journey. 

Drawing from her own career—from software engineering to leading multimillion-dollar product businesses—Shikha reflected on why this simple story continues to inspire readers around the world and why its lessons remain surprisingly relevant in today’s fast-changing world. 

Following Your Personal Legend 

At the heart of The Alchemist is the concept of a “Personal Legend”—the dream or purpose that each person is meant to pursue. 

For Shikha, this idea resonates strongly with entrepreneurship and leadership. Every successful startup begins because someone believes deeply in an idea, often before anyone else does. 

The shepherd boy in The Alchemist continues pursuing his dream despite setbacks, uncertainty, and countless obstacles. That persistence is what makes the story powerful. 

“No matter what kind of obstacles life throws your way, you continue to follow that personal legend because you believe in it, because you want it, because you have that burning desire for it.” 

While the concept sounds simple, many people abandon their dreams not because they lack capability, but because they lose faith along the way. 

The lesson is timeless: meaningful goals rarely come with guaranteed outcomes. They require conviction long before results appear. 

The Fear That Holds Us Back 

One theme that surfaced repeatedly during the conversation was fear—specifically the fear of failure. 

According to Shikha, most people already know what they want. The challenge isn’t identifying the dream. It’s finding the courage to pursue it. 

“What’s the worst that can happen? It won’t work out. Let’s try it anyway.” 

Fear often disguises itself as practicality. 

We convince ourselves that circumstances aren’t right, that we need more experience, more certainty, or more preparation. But often, what truly holds us back is the possibility that we might fail. 

The irony is that failure is already part of every worthwhile journey. 

Anything meaningful requires risk. The question isn’t whether failure will happen. The question is whether we’re willing to continue despite it. 

Imposter Syndrome: The Silent Barrier 

The discussion naturally led to another challenge faced by many professionals: imposter syndrome. 

Even accomplished leaders struggle with self-doubt. 

Shikha shared that throughout her career, particularly when leading large businesses and making high-impact decisions, she has often questioned herself. 

“When you’re responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of business, there are questions that come to your mind. Can I do this? Can I take this risk?” 

What has helped her overcome those moments is intentionally looking backward. 

Instead of focusing solely on uncertainty ahead, she reflects on the successes that brought her to the present moment. 

Those successes weren’t accidents, they were the result of hard work, resilience, and capability. 

“I have to look back at my successes and remind myself that they didn’t happen by chance.” 

Equally important is surrounding yourself with people who believe in you. 

Sometimes confidence doesn’t come from grand speeches or motivational quotes. It comes from a mentor’s trust, a leader’s encouragement, or a colleague’s belief in your abilities. 

These small signals become reminders that you’re more capable than your inner critic wants you to believe. 

The Power of Dreams 

One of the most memorable ideas from the book is that the possibility of a dream coming true is what makes life interesting. 

For Shikha, dreams have served as milestones throughout her career. 

Early on, she dreamed of leading a significant business and growing products at scale. Over time, she achieved those goals and found herself reflecting on an unexpected realization. 

“Now I’m wondering why I dreamed so small. I should have dreamed bigger.” 

It’s a perspective many successful people eventually reach. What once felt impossible becomes achievable. What once seemed ambitious becomes the new baseline. 

That doesn’t diminish the accomplishment. Instead, it reveals an important truth: every achieved dream expands our understanding of what’s possible. The goal isn’t simple to accomplish dreams; the goal is to keep creating new ones. 

Learning to Trust Your Intuition 

Another powerful lesson from The Alchemist revolves around omens—the signs and signals that guide us toward our path. 

While some readers interpret omens literally, Shikha sees them as intuition. 

That inner voice, that quiet sense of knowing. The feeling that something is right—or wrong—before logic fully explains why. 

“I almost think that voice is another person. It’s a version of yourself, your conscience.” 

Modern leadership often celebrates data-driven decision-making, and rightly so. But intuition still plays a critical role. 

The best leaders combine analysis with self-awareness. They listen not only to spreadsheets and reports but also to the subtle signals that experience, observation, and instinct provide. 

Sometimes the answers are already within us. We simply need the courage to listen. 

Why Self-Love Matters More Than We Think 

One of the most profound sections of the discussion centered around self-love. 

While the term is often associated with personal development, Shikha framed it through the lens of leadership. 

“If you don’t love yourself, you can’t give that love back to others.” 

Leaders influence culture through their energy, behavior, and emotional state. When leaders operate from insecurity, fear, or frustration, those emotions often ripple through their teams. But when leaders possess self-awareness, confidence, and compassion toward themselves, they create space for others to thrive as well. 

Shikha pointed out that building motivated teams requires more than strategy and execution. It requires empathy, patience, and trust. And those qualities become much harder to offer others if we haven’t first cultivated them within ourselves. The most effective leaders aren’t perfect. They’re grounded. 

The Value of Different Perspectives 

The conversation also touched on another lesson from The Alchemist: the importance of staying open to different perspectives. 

Throughout the book, Santiago learns from a wide range of people—the king, the crystal merchant, the Englishman, and the alchemist himself. Each encounter offers a new way of seeing the world. 

Shikha believes the same principle applies in leadership and business. 

In today’s organizations, teams are made up of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. While disagreements are inevitable, they often lead to better decisions when approached with curiosity rather than defensiveness. 

“If you’re open to discussing different viewpoints, you’re going to come to the table ready to weigh the pros and cons.” 

Strong leaders don’t surround themselves with people who think exactly like they do. 

They actively seek perspectives that challenge their assumptions. They listen carefully. They remain willing to change their minds when presented with new information. 

Innovation rarely emerges from uniform thinking. It comes from the willingness to explore ideas that may initially feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Growth begins when we allow ourselves to learn from others. 

Let the Universe Help You 

One of the most memorable lines from The Alchemist is the idea that when you truly desire something, the universe conspires to help you achieve it. 

For Shikha, this message is less about magic and more about commitment. When people become deeply invested in a goal, they naturally begin paying attention to opportunities that align with it. 

They notice connections. They build relationships. They recognize possibilities that may have gone unnoticed before. 

“Once you put out that desire that you wish to accomplish, the universe will help you.” 

Whether viewed through a spiritual lens or a practical one, the underlying lesson remains the same: clarity creates momentum. When we commit ourselves fully to a dream, our actions, decisions, and focus begin moving in the same direction. 

The path may still be difficult; there may still be setbacks. But opportunities often reveal themselves to those who continue showing up and moving forward. Sometimes the universe helps by opening doors, sometimes it helps by teaching lessons. Either way, progress belongs to those willing to keep pursuing their Personal Legend. 

Courage Is the Beginning of Every Journey 

One reason The Alchemist continues to resonate with readers around the world is the simplicity of its message. The book reminds us that extraordinary journeys often begin with ordinary decisions—the decision to dream, to take a chance, and to keep moving forward despite uncertainty. 

Its lessons are timeless: believe in your aspirations, trust your instincts, learn from failure rather than fear it, and remain open to opportunities that appear along the way. These ideas may sound simple, but they are often the foundation of meaningful personal and professional growth. 

For entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone navigating change, the story serves as a powerful reminder that success is rarely a straight path. Progress comes from persistence, self-belief, and the willingness to continue even when the destination isn’t fully visible. 

Ultimately, every meaningful journey starts with a dream—and the courage to pursue it.