While the content and agreements are useful and relevant in the 21st century, I felt that there were a lot of very religious and super-spiritual elements in the stories. The concept is simple, the four agreements are understandable, the results are undeniable. However, the disciplined practice of consciousness and action is a monumental challenge. not because it`s complicated, but because it requires a complete rewriting of your deepest thoughts and actions. Constant presence of mind and persistent focus will begin to unravel the unhealthy lifelong conditioning we`ve all been comfortable with. Impeccable means “sinless” and a sin is something you do or believe that goes against yourself. This means not speaking against yourself, for yourself or for others. This means not rejecting oneself. To be impeccable is to take responsibility, not to participate in the “game of guilt”. For the word, the rules of “action-reaction” apply. What you bring out energetically will come back to you. The correct use of the word creates the right use of energy to express love and gratitude, perpetuates the same in the universe.
The reverse is also true. Perfection begins at home. Be impeccable with yourself and this will be reflected in your life and relationships with others. This agreement can help change thousands of other agreements, especially those that create fear instead of love. “The Four Chords” not only gave me the four chords with which I made small positive changes in my life, but the book also helped me understand the process of “domestication” and how that “domestication” shaped my belief systems. The Four Accords were published© in 1997 and have sold approximately 9 million copies. It has been on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly a decade. Everything we do is based on agreements we have made – agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are those we make with ourselves.
It`s a brilliant book with excellent audio output. It outlines four simple agreements you need to make with yourself that will allow you to increase your control over how you live your life: 1) Be impeccable with your word; 2) Don`t take anything personally; 3) Don`t make assumptions; 4) Always do your best. Simple doesn`t mean easy! Don Miguel`s book helps the reader to have the power of these agreements and to use them. Reading Peter Coyote is a pleasure that supports the learning process. It is a timeless work that you can refer to again and again. I found the Four Chords even more powerful than Stephen Covey`s Seven Habits, which speak volumes. And just like the Seven Habits, the Four Chords are powerful in all aspects of your life, including family, work, and leisure. The four chords are delivered in a way that is easy to understand and apply to everyday life.
The concept of living in a dream is also easy to assimilate. The only problem I had was with the last 11 minutes, where he gives a “Christian” prayer that seems completely contradictory to the Toltec wisdom given in the rest of the book. This ending made me doubt the credibility of the author. I recommend listening until the prayer stops, and you will be satisfied with the wisdom of the Toltec tradition. Our personal power is based on the agreements we make, and often we make those deals to please others instead of being true to ourselves. In doing so, we give up our personal strength. The Four Accords aim to regain our personal power by being authentic and clinging to our true self. The four chords are: 1) Be impeccable in your word, 2) Don`t take anything personally, 3) Don`t make assumptions, and 4) Always do your best. These agreements are simple, but far from simple.
Ruiz encourages readers to practice these chords every day and forgive ourselves if we are not perfect. Effort is the most important thing. This book is a quick read (or listen) and should be read repeatedly if you really want to keep your chords with yourself. I have been on the path of spiritual awakening for 25 years and I wish I had come across this book at the beginning of my journey! Now it`s a perfect summary of what I`ve understood myself over the years, wrapped in a beautiful mystical story, the Toltec way of looking at it. I can`t recommend this book enough to anyone looking for a way to live a happy life, to be free from the fog of limiting beliefs and other effects of our domestication. The four chords are simple but quite difficult to stick to at every moment of our lives, which is why the fourth chord is so important. I will keep this book at the top of my list of favorite books for a long time and I will definitely reread it to make it even more wise. By making a pact with these four key agreements, an individual is able to significantly influence the level of happiness they feel in their life, regardless of external circumstances. [6] According to Don Miguel Ruiz, everything we do is based on agreements we have made – agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are those we make with ourselves.
In these agreements, we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. A single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that stem from fear, deplete our energy and reduce our self-esteem. The fourth agreement allows readers to get a better overview of the progress made in achieving their life goals. This agreement includes the integration of the first three chords into everyday life and also the exhaustion of one`s own potential. [8] It is a question of doing one`s best individually, which is different from the different situations and circumstances that the individual may encounter. Ruiz believes that if you avoid self-judgment and do your best in every given moment, you will be able to avoid remorse. [10] By incorporating the first three chords and giving the best of himself in all facets of life, the individual will be able to live a life without grief or self-irony. [10] In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting agreements that deprive us of joy and create unnecessary suffering. .