I believe that having the right mindset is essential for living a full, free life, and reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz has helped my mindset a lot.
The agreements in the book are “Be Impeccable with Your Word”, “Don’t Take Anything Personally”, “Don’t Make Assumptions”, and “Always Do Your Best”. They sound simple but they’re actually quite difficult to apply. Fortunately Ruiz examines each one in depth and describes the benefits of living by them, thus giving credence to the subtitle “A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom”.
A lot of people look to sources outside themselves for freedom. They hope other people will leave them alone, refrain from doing things that annoy them, or otherwise act in ways that they want. Sometimes this happens, but most of the time it doesn’t, and anyone whose ideas of freedom depend on other people acting in certain ways will be disappointed when those people act differently. The basic message of The Four Agreements is that true freedom is being yourself and that it depends on how you think and react rather than how other people act. This way you won’t expect other people to give you something because you’ll be able to provide it for yourself.
I recently finished reading The Four Agreements and I can already see positive changes in my life from applying its lessons, including greater patience, getting along better with others, more peace of mind, and more joy; I’m excited to see how my life looks once I’ve been applying the lessons for much longer. My favorite books contain useful lessons and instructions on how to apply those lessons, and this book contains both. If this sounds interesting to you, I recommend reading the book and seeing what benefits you can get out of it. And if you end up agreeing with my thoughts on the book, please let me know.