By Don Miguel Ruiz
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.
This is a short little book packed with four powerful ideas:
-Be Impeccable With Your Word
-Don’t Take Anything Personally
-Don’t Make Assumptions
-Always Do Your Best
This is a short book that is certainly worth a read! I’ve made quick summaries of the four agreements, but you should really read this book for yourself.
On being impeccable with your word: Don Miguel Ruiz reminds us how powerful the word is. The word is a two-edged sword with the power to create and to destroy. We must always be intentional about our words and never use them to sow fear, hate, or mistrust. “What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will all be manifested through the word”.
On not taking anything personally: This is a pretty hard concept for me. I’ve gotten better, but I take a lot of things personally. But Don Miguel Ruiz says that what other people say about you, that hurts you or wounds you, says more about them than it does about you. When you take something personally, you agree with the statement, you believe what they’re saying.
On not making assumptions: I believe humans hurt each other more often than is necessary by making assumptions. When we make an assumption, we believe it’s the truth, and when other people don’t act accordingly, we get mad and we get hurt. But it never was the truth because we made an assumption about what the other person was thinking and feeling.
On always doing your best: By always doing your best, you will never need to judge yourself. Your best isn’t the same from moment to moment, but if it’s your best, you can’t find fault with yourself. If you don’t find fault with yourself, you won’t take anything personally.
The four agreements also encourage us to live in the present. “When we try to live in the past, how can we enjoy the present? When we dream of the future, why must we carry the burden of the past?”
