I recently came upon this non-fiction book with the harrypotter-esque cover: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. It was small, well-written and easily consumable.
This is a book that challenges us to live up to four simple truths, and offers transformational results if we could live a life completely engaged in the four agreements. These truths are concise, clear and easy to remember.
Agreement 1:
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.
Agreement 2:
Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
Agreement 3:
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.
Agreement 4:
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.
These simple and easy to remember agreements made the book less tiresome than it would have been, were it longer. Personally, I felt it was stating the obvious, most of the time, and I found the explanations for these agreements unnecessarily loaded with examples. The book's ideas also felt unnecessarily religious.
Have you read this book?
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