About Me

I have been a teacher of fitness and health for thirty years. In 1989 I was certified for personal training with the National Acadamy of Sports Medicine. I had a gym in Santa Barbara for eight years. Co-owned and created a spinning bike company which manufactured bikes for five years. Also I have worked with nutrition companies for twenty years. Along with many wonderful non famous people I have trained many celebrities, and members of the Royal Family. My own athletic past consists of long distance running, long distance cycling, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, rollerblading, hiking, sand running, track work, and weight training. I have authored two fitness columns in local papers, and have been writing this blog since January 2010.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz


The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is on of my favorite non-fiction books. The author has given us four agreements to live by that will help us to find inner peace. Even if we are not conscious of it, inner peace is what we long for.

Much of our personal "Drama, Trauma" could be avoided by practicing these four things that Mr. Ruiz talks about in his book. It is a small easy to read book, that I highly recommend. I would like to share some of the highlights of the "Four Agreements" with you. It is powerful, yet simple and logical.

Mr. Ruiz's first agreement is to be "Impeccable With Your Word". He states that, "This is the most important Agreement, but the most difficult one to honor." Your "word" is who you are. It is how you communicate yourself to the world.

When you are not being honest, or staying in integrity with your word, it reflects who you are. That reflection would not be a positive one if your word is used to manipulate and lie.

Ruiz states that "The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby create the events in your life." He goes on to say, "The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic that can create the most beautiful dream, or destroy everything around you."

The second agreement is "Don't take anything personally". I believe this one is very hard to grasp. I also believe it is true. Much of our personal pain comes from taking everything personally when it "Never" is.

Ruiz says, "When you take things personally, you are agreeing with whatever has been said". "Nothing other people do or say is because of you, it is because of themselves. We are always dealing with our own beliefs and feelings when we react or respond to anyone else."

The third agreement is, "Don't make assumptions". O.K., this is another thing that will put us into misery. So much of my emotional pain in my life has come from "assuming" something bad was going to happen, but it never did.

Mr. Ruiz states, "The problem with making assumptions, is that we believe they are true. We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking; we take it personally; then we blame them."

We make assumptions about relationships, others beliefs, ourselves, others feelings, and on and on. We assume our lives away.

The fourth agreement is to, "Always do your best". Ruiz explains, "Under any circumstance always do your best, no more, no less. Keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next. Your best will sometimes be high quality, and at other times, not as good."

If you can live by these "Four Agreements" your life will be the best it can be. You will keep yourself out of personal trauma. If you are a drama Queen, you won't like these agreements, because drama will no longer be a part of your life.

I work on these things daily. I am getting better, but still have lots of work to do. I will tell you that I have hardly any drama or trauma in my life, and that is HEAVEN! Get this book if you want to positively change your world, it has changed mine.



Till Tomorrow,
Queenie

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