Search - The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

I'm a huge fan of self-help books. Like many, I was caught up in the self-help era of the 90s. Reading _The Four Agreements_ is revisiting ideas and beliefs that helped me through a difficult period of my life. The ideas espoused in this text are familiar, but knowing something isn't the same as applying principles to our lives. I believe in refresher courses.

Ruiz breaks down a path to better living to four agreements: (1) Be impeccable with your word. This is about integrity. Be consciously aware of the power of the spoken word. (2) Don't take anything personal. I laughed at this one. I immediately thought about Susan Jeffers who wrote, _What You Think of Me Is None of My business_. Simply, this means what people say about you isn't about you but them. Don't buy into the hype or criticism. (3) Don't Make Assumptions. Ruiz argues we'd rather make assumptions than ask questions. Ask the questions. (4) Always do your best. Your best changes. Do what you can in the moment and avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Ruiz doesn't say any of this is easy. It's a process. It's repetition. My feeling: why not try it? There is plenty to gain. It takes a lot to change and having someone remind me in simplistic terms is encouraging.

I enjoyed this little book. It's a quick read, and gives a lot to think about. Even so, I can't give it perfect marks because there were some points I felt Ruiz didn't elucidate well enough. I wanted more justification for his beliefs, and what I got instead was "this just makes sense, so try it."

Nevertheless, I do think reading this book will result in significant changes to my interactions with people.

If you are a sensitive person like myself, this book will help you to see things in a different light and stop taking everything personally. It really helped me in dealing with some difficult people in my life.

Great book

This book has changed the way I react to life. I am much calmer and happier as a result of the Four Agreements.

Very powerful! If we all could live by these four agreements what a wonderful world we would have. I am trying to put them into practice in my life and have passed the book on to a family member.