Overview: Life is already extraordinarily complex. Yet every now and again, we are bestowed a gift of wisdom and simplicity. The Four Agreements, A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, is one of these treasures. With four simple ideas, frameworks really, a whole new world of openness, joy, love, and gratitude becomes available. The Four Agreements help us develop a fundamental respect for ourselves and for all those around us.
Don Miguel Ruiz, author, takes us on a journey through our early domestication and the “agreements” we naturally learned to incorporate into our fundamental view of self and external reality. However, these may better off be considered “dis-agreements” due to the effects they have on our lives: selfishness, jealousy, aggression, fear, judgment, and worldly pains of all sorts. Yet, learning to reprogram our minds and souls with a cohesive set of agreements can lead us to the bountiful richness and beauty that underlies all of existence.
You may, by now, be curious as to what the four agreements are! So, here you go.
1) Be impeccable with your word. This agreement is the underlying agreement to all the rest. Don Miguel considers it the most important, with the other three agreements serving as tools to help achieve the first. Being impeccable with one’s word includes our internal dialogue, how we speak of ourselves and others, and our ability to exist and act from a place of truth. With this first agreement, we are on the way to finding our genuine self, no matter the circumstance.
2) Take nothing personally. We are taught to seek praise and avoid blame. To become inflamed when insulted, and to be disappointed when ignored. Yet, taking nothing personally is the middle-way which keeps us intrinsically safe from the toxicity of others. Nothing that anyone else does or says is because of you. Even if they may do everything in the world to convince you of that, it is not because of you. They live in their own “dream” and act accordingly. Not taking anything personally helps us avoid the needless suffering that often accompanies perceived assaults on our ego.
3) Make no assumptions. All too often we assume. We create whole realities in our minds based on our assumptions. Yet, by making no assumptions, we are encouraged to communicate more honestly and openly. We are faced with the need to ask more questions and be honest with our answers.
4) Always do your best. Our best changes from moment to moment and from day to day. It is important to acknowledge our best so that we can avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Even if our best is lying down in a puddle for a few minutes, or hours, or days, we simply must hold ourselves with compassion and love if we are always doing our best.
As you can see, these aren’t commandments. They are simple acknowledgments that, together, can lead to greater personal freedom, self-expression, and happiness.
Memorable Quotes:
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
“But it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that you have wounds that I touch by what I have said. You are hurting yourself. There is no way I can take this personally.”
“Also, go inside and listen to your body, because your body will never lie to you. Your mind will play tricks, but the way you feel in your heart, in your guts, is the truth.”
“What you will see is love coming out of the trees, love coming out of the sky, love coming out of the light. You will perceive love from everything around you. This is the state of bliss.”
Strengths:
You can safely consider this book as a “must-read” for this century and many to come
The 4 Agreements have the power to transform the fabric of your being, leading to greater personal joy, compassion, freedom, and love
The Four Agreements is very approachable, precise, and pragmatic
Anyone can benefit from the inherent wisdom found within this book
Further Discussion:
In life, there is almost never a cure-all. It may seem that these agreements are framed along such lines. Additionally, some readers may not resonate with the overt references to “God” or universal consciousness and love.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a simple book that has the power to transform your universe into an artist’s beautiful dream, search no further. Wisdom spoken from the very heart of existence flourishes throughout the entire work. Get yourself a copy and you will surely wish to share it with all those close to you.
