The Four Agreements

For my birthday last month a dear friend gave me a book entitled "The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)." Little did I know how much this book would effect my life and act as a constant reminder of ways to help me enjoy life. In the book author Don Miguel Ruiz touches on four points (the four agreements) to help one gain personal freedom. It is amazing how practical and simple these "agreements" are. Here are the highlights of each agreement:

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.

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.

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.

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.

It is interesting to me that whenever I open this book to a random page and read for a while, it seems to be exactly what I was needing to hear at that time. These four agreements are so simple. After all, isn't it the little things in life....