The Four Agreements

Today I put out a quotation by...William James that states...
“As a rule we disbelieve all facts and theories for which we have no use.”

A good friend of mine, Jimmy Caplan responded with the following...

“As a rule we believe all facts and theories for which we have no use.”

He went on to say..

'As human beings, we don't discuss and argue over Truth. We defend symbols (our interpretations of the truth) and attack the symbols (interpretations) of others. This unending dynamic is the root cause of war, suffering, bombings of abortion clinics, dysfunctional politics in D.C., etc. All this is perfectly stated in The Four Agreements and The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz.'

The Four Agreements are:

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 healthy as opposed to sick.
Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

These four ways to live your life are not only valuable on a personal level, but on a business one as well. It you can incorporate these into your daily life, you will be well on your way to a more peaceful, fuller, more successful life.

Comments

The Moldy Middle

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The Rush to Bottom

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How Much is Enough?

I have been thinking about integrity and honesty, and frankly should humanity even continue, but that is another thread. In my thinking, I keep coming back to the same question: How much or little cheating is enough? Or stated another way? How much of a lie makes you a liar? How much cheating do you have to do to be a cheater? How much do you need to steal for you to be considered a thief? How much infidelity do you need to be considered an adulterer? How much fraud to you need to commit for it to be criminal? How much of the truth needs to be changed for it to be untrue? How much shit exactly, does something need to have to be considered a shit sandwich? How dead must a person be to be considered murdered? How pregnant do you have to be to be considered pregnant? OK, the last two were off topic but the answer is “any”.. Any amount of lying makes you a liar. Any amount of cheating makes you a cheater. Any amount of stealing makes you a thief. Any amount of infidelity makes you an adult

The Profit Prophet

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