The Four Agreements

by Miguel Ruiz

1. 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.

2. Don’t Take Anything PersonallyNothing 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.

3. Don’t Make AssumptionsFind 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.

4. Always Do Your BestYour 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.

The Four Agreements1. Write each of the Agreements on a separate piece of paper and for each one,

look back in your life – years ago or the other day – and write down one example where you did not follow the basic premise of each Agreement.

2. Examine the overall situation, take an impartial look at your behavior (as out of sync with the Agreement) and theorize about how things would have been different if you’d been able to uphold that particular Agreement (write it down).

3. For a minimum of two weeks time, keep the Four Agreements at the forefront of your awareness. Devise some way to continuously remind yourself of their wording and the intent of each. (A rubber band around your wrist, a note on your day planner, etc.)

4. At the end of that two week period, review your time with the Agreements. Did you feel calmer? Did your conduct change in anyway? Were you able to see alternatives that you might not previously have noticed?