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The Seven Agreements

Contributed by Alan Fryer
Mar 17, 2008 at 10:02 PM
I recently read the back of a book called the 4 Agreements (http://www.miguelruiz.com/) and I really loved what it said. This was a good thing as the four summarized agreements seemed a set of self-evident truths, it was bad because I don't feel compelled to read the book as it will probably just belabor something that was summarized so succinctly. The only problem I had is that it just did not seem enough. All four agreements are important but it seems like more agreements are necessary. I took a stab at adding 3 more to it up to the magically number of seven. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_memory for a discussion on short-term memory) (from the book) agreement 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. agreement 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. agreement 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. agreement 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, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret. (my additions ...) Agreement 5 Trust in yourself. Seven habits for highly effective people talks about transitioning from dependence, to independence, to interdependence. You can’t do this if you don’t believe in yourself and your ability to handle situations. Everything begins with taking a step forward, or projecting yourself forward, if you don’t trust in yourself, how can you do this. Agreement 6 Control what you can control, then stop, and then repeat. If you believe in yourself it is amazing what you can handle but there will always be things beyond your control. Take the initiative, put your best foot forward, plan, prepare, etc. At some point, however, things will leave your control. This is where you have to stop and just let things happen. If things need time to happen, then you must move your focus elsewhere and give it that time. Finally, once events happen, you can be in the control again by controlling how you react to those events. Agreement 7 Balance across all things People have jobs, families, friends, hobbies, religious beliefs, etc. All of these put demands on your time but you cannot allow any one to "over" dominate your life. The right balance is unique to an individual but when things go out of balance quality of life or even your health can suffer. To me this is also akin to the saying "moderation in all things including moderation" Be first to comment this article \| Views: 724
Last Updated ( Mar 17, 2008 at 10:04 PM )
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