The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

“The Four Agreements
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best. ”

“The human mind is like a fertile ground where seeds are continually being planted,” writes author Don Miguel Ruiz. And that is why books like these are so important and refreshing!

I have read a number of Buddhist books in my life and The Four Agreements is very much like all of them in its simple philosophy of Right Living.

“We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do. We assume others think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge, and abuse the way we abuse. This is the biggest assumptions that humans can make. And this is why we have a fear of being ourselves around others. Because we think everyone else will judge us, victimize us, abuse us, and blame us as we do ourselves. So even before others have a chance to reject us, we have already rejected ourselves. That is the way the human mind works.”

The ideas are extremely simple, but incredibly profound and sensical. It's a practical guide to communicating with yourself like a child. The Four Agreements are these: 1. Be Impeccable with your Word, 2. Don’t Take Anything Personally, 3. Don’t Make Assumptions, and 4. Always Do Your Best. This coupled with mindful breathing and loving prayers, one can become a Spiritual Warrior in the Toltec tradition.

These kinds of books are important for reminding us that we are all very much alike in our programming, that we can find personal happiness by lifting our personal fears long enough to see them for what they are, and that we deserve to feel the miracle of heaven around us. This world can be either "good" or "bad" or neither through the prism of our own eyes, and regardless of our programming, that lens is focused by our power of personal choice. The Four Agreements isn't just a meaningful reminder that we can be happy, it's also an extremely condensed read that can be absorbed in a day. It makes the possibility of reading it over and over again probable.

“We must forgive those we feel have wronged us, not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because we love ourselves so much we don’t want to keep paying for the injustice.”

One of many incredible insights into a magical guide towards self-love.