Oddbean

This was a good book and a quick read - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 1. Be impeccable with your word Words are powerful tools. Use them to share love, uplift others. Avoid gossip, it is poison. Be impeccable with words to yourself too 2. Do not take anything personally Taking things personally is a form of selfishness, as it assumes everything is about "me." People's opinions are shaped by their own experiences and perspectives. If someone doesn’t treat you with respect, it’s a gift to part ways. Your heart will heal, and you will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices. 3. Do not make assumptions Assumptions lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary drama. We make assumptions because we don’t have the courage to ask questions. Love is accepting other people the way they are without trying to change them. 4. Always do your best Under any circumstances, do your best - no more, no less. True fulfillment comes from action, not the expectation of rewards. You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action. Mastery comes through repetition, practice makes perfect. If you fall, stand up and keep going and each time it will become easier. Let go of the past and live fully in the moment. Other good reminders at the end of the book : - True freedom is the ability to use our mind and body to live our lives instead of conforming to a belief system imposed upon us. - A warrior rebels against the invasion of the mind's parasite. To be free, face fears, stop feeding them, and live life to its fullest. - At the very least, have the dignity of rebellion, and not be a helpless victim of our own whimsical emotions or the poisonous emotions of others. - We are often addicted to our own patterns - anger, jealousy, self-pity - and the limiting beliefs that tell us we are not good enough. We need to let it go and embrace new form of repetition fueled with self-love and self-respect. - The big difference between a warrior and a victim is that the victim represses, and the warrior refrains. Victims repress because they are afraid to show their emotions, afraid to say what they want to say. To refrain is not the same thing as repression. To refrain is to hold the emotions and to express them in the right moment, not before, not later. That is why warriors are impeccable. They have complete control over their own emotions and therefore over their own behavior. - Happiness is a choice https://m.primal.net/KbtZ.jpg