the four agreements book review
Intro
If you want to make a positive change in your life, I highly recommend reading the four agreements and its follow-up book, the fifth agreement. These five agreements have proven to be an excellent foundation for day-to-day life for me; a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Here are the four agreements, including the most recent, the fifth.
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.” Don Miguel Ruiz
The First Agreement – BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
Speak honestly and just speak what you really mean. Think about what you say, The power of your words can be used for good, so use them wisely. It's best not to use words in a judgemental way about yourself or to spread rumors about other people.
The Second Agreement – DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
You have nothing to do with the actions of anyone else. Everything that other people say or do is an outward reflection of their own inner world, their own reality. In order to prevent unnecessary suffering, you must become indifferent to the ideas and behaviors of other people.
The Third Agreement – DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
Take a chance and say what you really want, even if you don't think anyone will listen. Stay away from heartache and drama by being clear in your communication with people. You may radically improve your life with this one agreement.
The Fourth Agreement – ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Always give it your all, but your performance will fluctuate based on how rested or fatigued you are at any given time. Simply do your best in any situation, regardless of the circumstances, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
The Fifth Agreement – BE SKEPTICAL, BUT LEARN TO LISTEN
Don't put all your belief in yourself or anyone else. The power of skepticism can be used to question everything you hear. You'll get the whole meaning of what someone is saying if you pay attention to their intentions when they speak. Examine everything, but don't disregard anything without thought and reason.
Favorite Quotes from the books
Forgiveness is the only way to heal. We can choose to forgive because we feel compassion for ourselves.
Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.
It is always better to ask questions than to make an assumption, because assumptions set us up for suffering.
Be Skeptical, but learn to listen.
Life is very, very simple and easy to understand, but we complicate it with the beliefs and ideas that we create.
We judge others according to our image of perfection as well, and naturally they fall short of our expectations.
You are never responsible for the actions of others; you are only responsible for you. When you truly understand this, and refuse to take things personally, you can hardly be hurt by the careless comments or actions of others.
You must forgive those who hurt you, even if whatever they did to you is unforgivable in your mind. You will forgive them not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because you don’t want to suffer and hurt yourself every time you remember what they did to you.
You will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.
Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you’re expecting a reward. Most people do the exact opposite: They only take action when they expect a reward, and they don’t enjoy the action. And that’s the reason why they don’t do their best.
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.
When you don’t do your best, you are denying yourself the right to be you.
Whatever life takes away from you, let it go. When you surrender and let go of the past, you allow yourself to be fully alive in the moment. Letting go of the past means you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now.
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.
Real love is accepting other people the way they are without trying to change them.
Quote by Don Miguel Ruiz
“By practicing the Five Agreements, what you are really doing is respecting everything in creation. You are respecting your dream; you are respecting everybody else’s dream. If you use these tools, your effort is really for everyone, because your joy, your happiness, your peace, and your heaven are contagious. When you are happy, the people around you are happy too, and it inspires them to change their own world.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
