I’m always on the hunt for a good self-development book. I downloaded Rachel Hollis’ Girl Wash Your Face this summer – it was pretty good. I also liked The Power of Now and The Secret. I read these books years ago but they still speak to me today. There’s one book in particular that had been on my wish list for a while now – The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It has (almost) a 5 star rating, and many people in the reviews talk about how life-changing it is. I listened to it in two days, and it. is. good.
In his book, Ruiz explains, in detail, how you can live your best, most authentic life by practicing the following Four Agreements:
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Be Impeccable with Your Word
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Do Not Take Anything Personally
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Do Not Make Assumptions
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Always Do Your Best
The author does a great job explaining how to implement each agreement into your life. He also talks about how they work together to kind of cause a chain reaction. I definitely had to rewind quite a few parts. He is precise in his explanations and doesn’t say more than he needs to, so the 2.5 hour listen is straight to the point – if you zone out, you may miss something.
For each agreement, he elaborates on the importance (and magic) of making these changes in your life.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes. There are many. 🙂
“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is, because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind. They are in a completely different world than the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. Even when the situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give, are according to the agreements they have in their own minds.”
“The day you stop making assumptions, you will communicate cleanly and clearly, free of emotional poison.”
“Under any circumstance, always do your best. No more, and no less. But keep in mind that your best will change from one moment to the next. Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high-quality, and other times it will not be as good.”
“Your best will depend on whether you’re feeling wonderful and happy, or angry and upset. In your everyday moods, your best can change from one moment to another, from one hour to the next, from one day to another. Your best will also change over time. As you build the habit of The Four New Agreements, your best will become better than it used to be.”
This book is packed full of useful, eye-opening information. It is great for self-reflection. There were so many times I was nodding, thinking this is so true. I want to make this change. I want to make it a point to do X, Y, & Z. I will definitely be listening to it again and again when I need to be reminded of why these agreements are so important.
“The angel of death can teach us to live every day as if it is the last day of our life, as if they may be no tomorrow. We can begin each day by saying, “I am awake. I see the sun. I am going to give my gratitude to the sun and everything and everyone, because I am still alive. One more day to be myself.” That is the way I see life. That is what the angel of death taught me, to be completely open. To know that there is nothing to be afraid of. And of course I treat the people I love with love, because this may be the last day that I can tell you how much I love you.”
Have you read this book? Or do you have suggestions for any other self-development or spiritual books that you love? If so, please let me know in the comments!
