I have recently renewed my committment to being happy and finding peace in my life. Thanks to a new friend, he shared with me a wonderful book that I'd like to share.

The Book is called, "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. If taken with with the right attitude, these beliefs can put you on a new path to a better and happier life.

To learn about Don Miguel Ruiz, you should check out his website. Any Google search will take you there.

However, if you are like me, I want to KNOW what type of information is going to be giving. This "New Age" stuff can be a bit over the top and too fluffy to make an impact. This book, The Four Agreements, is a great book and well worth the read. It should only take a few hours max to read it and it's very simple. I'd suggest in advance having a highlighter close at hand to highlight some of the amazing quotes you'll find.

Below is my review or summary of the book, The Four Agreements: A practical guide to Personal Freedom - A Toltec Wisdom Book.

The Four Agreements are these:

1. Be Impeccable with your word.

2. Don't take anything personal.

3. Don't make assumptions.

4. Always do your best.

 

"Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth."

This book basically says that all humans are taught from birth to have a specific belief and value system.  While these beliefs can be good, they are not exactly what we should choose to measure our life, our success or our happiness with.

True to the book, whenever I find myself in a painful or upsetting situation, I can always track the root cause of my anguish to my violating one of the Four Agreements.

I'll give some more detail on the four agreements now.

Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

My translation is this: shut your mouth and stop the verbal diareaha that we all let spew out.  I'd say that 90% of the crap that comes out of our mouths is not relevant or useful. Words can hurt, words can love, words can spread anger and hurt or they can bring love and joy. 

Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

My translation: Just because someone says you are dumb, doesn't mean you are. They are usually making a judgment against you based on their own beliefs, and it has nothing to do with the reality. In the reverse, just because someone says you are smart or wonderful, doesn't mean you are.  You cannot validate yourself or your life or your beliefs based on other peoples opinions. You may have done some great service for someone and being recognized for it is fine, but we are not perfect and to get a huge ego based on one comment is not reality.

Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

My translation: Wow, this was hard for me. I can't believe the amount of assuming that I do in my life.  I use assumptions to over-react or to justify my actions. In relationships we assume that our partner knows that they have hurt or offended us. Often times, they have NO clue! If I learn anything from this book, this is the single most important change I want to make in my life. Stop the drama, stop the conflict and have the courage to find out the answers.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

My translation: This was another hard concept for me, but it gave me comfort too. What maybe your best in one situation, may not be in another. Every day your "best" is different. However, if you commit to do your best in everything you do each day, then you'll have a lot less regret and worry.

 

This book is simple and easy to read. It can be a bit TOO simple, but the concepts are so new that it's a good thing to have them reinforced and reiterated through out each page and chapter.

I'm currently reading another of his books, "The Mastery of Love". I'm actually enjoying it more than the Four Agreements, but I'd recommend reading The Four Agreements first, so that the other books are easier to pick up on.

I'd love to share these ideas with all eBayers out there. If you are interesting in swapping ideas or stories, drop me a line!

Enjoy! Cheri

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