The Five Agreements

This book changed my life last fall. I thank my dear friend Kelley for telling me about it.    Now I just need to hang the agreements on my fridge and put them in my Kindle so I remember them in times of need!  HA!  Enjoy!

The Five Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

January 17, 2010 by Editor

According to don Miguel Ruiz, everything we do is based on agreements we have made — agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, and with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. With these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible.

The Five Agreements:

1.BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2.DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3.DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4.ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are tired as opposed to well rested. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

5.BE SKEPTICAL, BUT LEARN TO LISTEN

Don’t believe yourself or anybody else. Use the power of doubt to question everything you hear: Is it really the truth? Listen to the intent behind the words, and you will understand the real message.

The Four Agreements slowly helps you to recover your authentic self, and the real you starts to awaken. With The Fifth Agreement comes the complete acceptance of yourself just the way you are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is your eternal happiness. The Fifth Agreement is made with words, of course, but its meaning and intent is beyond the words. The Fifth Agreement is ultimately about seeing your whole reality with the eyes of truth, without words.

Make the Five Agreements your way of life — love yourself, enjoy life, and make your personal world a dream of heaven. And, by changing your world, you are changing the world.

As don Miguel says, “By practicing the Five Agreements, what you are really doing is respecting everything in creation. You are respecting your dream; you are respecting everybody else’s dream. If you use these tools, your effort is really for everyone, because your joy, your happiness, your peace, and your heaven are contagious. When you are happy, the people around you are happy too, and it inspires them to change their own world.”

This way of life is entirely possible, and it’s in your hands. The change begins with you. Why not start now?

This is Me, Then.



Let 2012 Be Your Year...

In 2011 I let people in my life dictate my well being, my worth, my me.  Not anymore.  In my search for answers and why me me me, I realized I wasn't the one with the problem, these people hurting me where the ones with the problem.  They are the ones with a low self worth or why else would they find such joy in hurting, not forgiving and punishing me.  I turned my sadness into joy and now pray for these people daily and wish them nothing but happiness and success even though they don't feel the same about me.  I turned my sorrow into finally finishing my Associates Degree in Elementary Education from Lee College.  It was a tough semester with some sacrifices me and my family had to make but WE did it.  I then turned my sorrow into getting accepted to the University of Houston Clear Lake and I am proud to say I will begin there next week with a plan to graduate in May of 2014 with my teaching degree.  My husband and I made the decision to take out a student loan to pay for these last two years and I am proud to say my husband paid for my associates degree with no help.  I applied for and received two grants and one scholarship as well.  I have been truly blessed with the MOST AMAZING man on earth, my husband. 

I would like to end by tooting a little horn! Everyone should toot their own horn!  I was nominated for The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi.  I can not wait to see what the future holds for me and my family. 

Mission:We Build Leaders Who Make a Better World.The Society is an organization that helps people discover and achieve their goals. The Society offers life-changing lectures from the nations leading presenters and a community where like-minded success oriented individuals come together and help one another succeed. The Society also serves as a powerful force of good in the greater community by encouraging and organizing action to better the world.

This is Me, Then.



College...Don't Knock It Unless You've Tried It.

College, if your parents put you through college, stop right now and give them a call and say thank you. 

College, if your parents couldn't afford to put you through so they took out loans, donated body parts, whatever, stop right now and call them and say thank you.

College, if your parents were unable to put you through BUT supported you as you put yourself through with words or praise and encouragement and just being there for you, stop right now and call them and say thank you.

If you did or are doing it all on your own with no support from your family, no words of praise, no words of encouragement, stop right now and thank yourself.  You are truly amazing! 

If not only you are doing it yourself but you are also married with kids at home, a single parent with kids at home, you work, you do anything other than have complete focus and attention on college then you deserve a key to the city!!!! A Parade!!!! A Party!!!! You deserve everything.

If you have a loved one in your life, a friend, a child, a parent, a neighbor, or anyone in your circle that goes to college please remember that not only are they doing something VERY SCARY and out of the box, they are doing something for their family's future.  A typical day for them involves the normal routine of a crazy parent and trying to maintain a marriage and/or homelife, but sitting in a classroom with a bunch of teenagers or twentysomethings fresh out of highschool that make you feel SUPER old and refer to you as Mrs. or Mr. instead of "hey you".  Then you come home and any free time is spent grocery shopping, bill paying, clothes washing, dishwasher loading and when you finally sit down and try to remember the last time you bathed someone needs help with their homework, folders signed, books read, and then you realize its 10:00 and everyones going to bed.  BUT WAIT, you haven't done your homework because your college professor doesnt care what your homelife is, you need to read this, type that, post a response to something by tonight at midnight. And if you WORK too, full time or part time, God Bless You! Its the MOST rewarding and MOST frustraiting thing any adult can take on.  SO, please realize if this person you love doesnt make it by to see your new lamp, or meet you for tea, or go shopping,  that they really just need a nap or a caserole for tonights dinner. Also, any free time is given to their spouse and children that never get their full attention anymore.

Hats off to returning students of the world!  You are amazing!

This is Me, Then.