I’m an avid reader, and there is an entire library of books that I have finished by now =). However, there is one book which stood out for me. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Its an easy read but with powerful impact i.e only if you want to include the teachings of this book in your life!
Let me warn you, you need a very strong will in order to adopt the Four Agreements from this book – but if you can begin to live your life with these agreements, I can personally guarantee you that the transformation in your life will be pleasantly astonishing. You will see the drama of hell fade away right before your very eyes. Instead of living in a dream of hell, you will be creating a new dream – your personal dream of heaven.
I have read this book multiple times and every time I read it, it brings some great new ideas in my life. In this post I’m going to cover the most important agreements out of the four agreements, according to me.
Don’t Take Anything Personally
This agreement really struck a chord with me, especially the last line of Ervin Seals quotation “It is the habit of feeling hurt because of what other do or do not do and what they say or do not say.” I find that I am especially challenged with this agreement.
Many of us can sometimes be so easily affected by the opinions of others – not that it’s lasting but we do feel a physical and emotional response to negative and positive encounters with others – though not just with anyone. I think it tends to come more from the people who we appreciate in some way.
To give you guys a practical feel of the this agreement, I will now intentionally put you in spot light by making you go through a small exercise with the help of the following example. Here, I would confront you a little bit. Most of us are working or have worked in an office. We have either encountered it or heard about of the classic line when biz people screw you over and than say “Don’t take it personally, it’s just business!”. Rrrrrriiiight !!
Now I want you to close your eyes and imaging a situation in past when something similar to this happened with you or with someone you know. How did you/they would have responded? What were your/their feelings in that exact moment? If this scene happens again now, would you be able to practice this agreement? Would you get affected with what others say/do to you? What would be your step to ensure that the the bad feelings dont get you?
Told you. It would be little challenging =) Relax guys, don’t run away. In working with this agreement I can see that we will be learning to deepen our love and acknowledgment of ourself (and therefore of others as well)……I’m ready for that. Are you?
To lighten up your day, heres a quote by Don Miguel Ruiz from The Four Agreements “Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves”