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Time has been flying by in 2017, we’re already halfway through the year! With time going by so fast, it’s nice to take a deep breath, pause and check-up on yourself. This mental pause may involve taking a step back and looking at building on successes and strengthening weak habits. There are four simple tools, known as “The Four Agreements 1 ” which can help with creating peace and focus in life.
Here are the Four Agreements:
1. Don’t Make Assumptions
Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings and potential drama. Ask questions to try to fully understand where someone is coming from.
2. Be Impeccable with your Word
Speak with integrity and say only what you mean. Avoid using your word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth.
3. Don’t Take Anything Personally
What others say and do is a projection of their own point of view. When you see your ego inflating, take a step back from the issue and look at it from a neutral perspective.
4. Always Do Your Best
Your 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, which will help you avoid self-judgement and regret.
In theory, these are fairly straightforward and simple agreements to follow, but they can be a challenge to implement in daily life. (Try not taking road rage personally the next time someone cuts you off!) However, the Four Agreements can be a good guide for helping prevent conflict and decreasing stress with conflicts arise.
When you’re done taking a midway pause through your year and evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, look at how the Four Agreements may be able to help you with them. It could be something like improving a strength by doing your absolute best at it, or smoothing over a conflict by not taking it personally.
If you’re interested in learning even more, read the book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (no affiliation with UWIB).