What Are The 4 Agreements Of Life, Its Review And Criticism?

When it comes to life, man makes all kinds of agreements. Some of these agreements are built on fear, while others are built on confidence. Regardless of what you agree to, make sure that you live up to them. Listed below are four agreements that you need to keep in mind. They are all interrelated and necessary for peace of mind. If you can live by them, you will be on the path to peace.

The four agreements include: Be Impeccable With Your Words, Never Do Anything impulsively, Don’t Be a Speculative Person, Always Do your Best. The Four Agreements of Life is a book written by Don Miguel Ruiz. Don Miguel Ruiz explains each agreement in simple, straightforward terms. 

These agreements are the basis of a peaceful existence, according to Ruiz. These agreements include keeping your word, not taking things personally, and doing your best. Don Miguel Ruiz’s book has earned many positive reviews and sparked controversy.

The book explores ancient Toltec wisdom. It is popular among those who are interested in ancient teachings. Don Miguel Ruiz was originally trained as a surgeon and practiced medicine for years. After a near-fatal car accident, he realized that he wanted more than success.

What are the four agreements of life?

Don Miguel Ruiz is an experienced shaman and healer. His book presents a simple code of conduct from the Toltec ancestors. It is a beautifully designed book full of grace and simple truth. It makes a beautiful gift. Don Miguel Ruiz reads in the voice of an indigenous shaman. 

Be Accurate in Your Words

While this agreement is among the most significant, Ruiz declares that it’s the most difficult to honor. To understand the significance of an agreement like this, Ruiz first analyzes the word impeccable. 

Ruiz says that sin can be anything against self-interest, so being flawless with words means accepting responsibility for one’s actions and not judging the person or others. The essence of this agreement emphasizes the importance of speaking professionally and judiciously choosing words before making them public. 

Don’t Take Anything Personally.

The second one provides the reader with a method to handle hurtful behavior by others they encounter in their lives. It stresses the importance of having solid self-esteem and not relying on the opinions of others to feel content and happy in their image of themselves. Ruiz believes that anger, jealousy, the feeling of envy, and even sadness may diminish or fade away once one does not take things as a matter of personal opinion. 

Stay away from Assumptions.

The third argument of Ruiz’s book outlines the problem that people make assumptions about how it causes suffering and why people shouldn’t make assumptions. If you assume that someone else believes, it may result in stress and tension due to the belief that the assumption represents the truth.

Ruiz believes the solution to overcome the habit of making assumptions is to inquire and make sure that communication is clear between all involved parties. People can prevent the pitfalls of misunderstandings, sadness, or drama by keeping their assumptions to a minimum. 

Always Do Your Best

The fourth agreement allows the reader to understand making progress towards your goals. The fourth agreement is about taking the three previous agreements into the daily routine and living life to its maximum potential. It is about trying to do the best each person can manage independently that is different from diverse situations and situations one might encounter. 

Ruiz believes that the moment one puts their best foot forward at all times and is free of self-judgment and regret. If one can incorporate the first three commitments and do their best that you can all aspects of their lives, people can lead an existence free of sorrow and self-doubt.

The four agreements’ criticism

Don Miguel Ruiz is an author whose books have gained widespread popularity. It has since been translated into 46 languages. It has sold over 8.2 million copies in the U.S. and spent over a decade on the New York Times bestseller list. The author is inspired by Toltec spiritualist texts and is listed among Watkins’s 100 most spiritually influential people of all time.

Critics say that the Four Agreements have been oversimplified. While his methods have been widely praised, critics argue that he is not credible. He also says he wrote the book due to his reading of Toltec spirituality. Despite being a repackaged version of his earlier works, the Four Agreements also have an extensive history.

The book’s authors are credited with creating a code of conduct based on the wisdom of the ancient Toltecs. In the book, Don Miguel Ruiz describes the importance of doing one’s best and stresses that the definition of “best” changes depending on the situation. Likewise, “best” does not apply to every situation, depending on the context and the person. It is always best to do what one can do and not assume.

The four agreements of life review

It aims to help people transform their lives into an experience of new peace, happiness, and love. As the book’s author states, all that a person performs is based on their agreements with themselves, with other people and God, and even with the world itself. When they make these agreements, people can think about what they’re about, what they should do, how to behave, what’s feasible, and what’s impossible. 

One of the agreements people make may not create problems, but some agreements are based on anxiety and can drain one’s emotional resources and reduce the self-worth of a person. The book explains that self-limiting agreements cause unnecessary suffering. Ruiz is also of the opinion that to achieve personal happiness, you must let go of the societal-imposed and fear-based rules that can influence an individual’s attitude and behavior. 

Final Words

In the four agreements of life book, the author points out the causes of an unhappy life and offers four beneficial agreements one could make with themselves to improve their general happiness. If one deals with these four agreements, one can significantly improve the level of happiness they experience throughout their lives, no matter what external situations.