The Universe Doesn't Care

Remember that quote everyone loved in college? The one about the universe conspiring to help you achieve your dreams? Yeah, Paulo Coelho's cosmic promise from The Alchemist.

I've had a weird relationship with it. Loved it in my 20s. Hated it in my 30s. Now? Now I think I finally get what he was trying to say.

In my 20s, this was perfect dorm room philosophy. Quotable enough to sound smart and vague enough so no one questions it. The kind of quote you'd write in your journal, dreaming about changing the world but also hoping that someone sees this quote in said journal.

Then life hits—hard. Reality smacks you in the face when the mundanity of your life begins. You realize no cosmic force is coming to save you. No universal alignment. Just you, your choices, and their consequences.

You've already forgotten about the quote till you see it during one of your doomsday scrolling bouts on Instagram. You laugh because you realize the line feels like spiritual Instagram fodder, right between "eat pray love" and "everything happens for a reason."

But here's where it gets interesting.

In 1978, neurologist Dr. James Austin mapped out four types of luck. And suddenly, Coelho's universe starts making sense:

1. Blind Luck: This is the lottery of birth. Your parents, your country, your era. The universe you're born into.

2. Motion Luck: Stuff happens because you're doing stuff and working hard. Simple, that's it. Like Thomas Jefferson says, "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

3. Awareness Luck: You spot opportunities because you know what's cooking. That's why Warren Buffett sees deals that no one else does. Pattern recognition from deep expertise.

4. Uniqueness Luck: People come to you because only you can do that thing. Think Steve Jobs' "connecting the dots backwards" - his unique path created opportunities only he could see.

These aren't just theoretical concepts. Look at how this plays out in real life:

• Mark Cuban didn't get lucky with Broadcast.com - he was deep in tech (awareness) while everyone else was sleeping on the internet (motion)

• Spielberg didn't just happen to make great movies - he was shooting films since he was 12 (motion) until he developed his unique voice (uniqueness)

• Taylor Swift didn't just get lucky - she was writing songs daily (motion), understanding pop culture deeply (awareness), and crafting her unique style (uniqueness)

Looking at these patterns, everything starts falling into place. Let's combine Coelho's universe with Austin's luck—the cosmic stuff meeting science. And suddenly, it all makes sense:

The universe isn't some mystical force throwing good fortune your way. The universe is what happens when you:

• Keep moving (luck from motion)

• Master your craft (luck from awareness)

• Become irreplaceable (luck from uniqueness)

Funny how it works. What started as a stale fortune cookie cliché was truth in disguise. Coelho wasn't just writing feel-good quotes - he was dropping wisdom I wasn't ready to hear.

I went from love to puke to understanding: The universe wasn't conspiring with me. I was the damn universe.

So here's what I’ve come to:

Stop waiting for some mysterious cosmic star alignment.

You don't need permission.

You are the universe.

Just do your thing.