The Four Agreements: Be Impeccable with Your Word

This agreement is powerful and one of the most difficult to honor. Through your word, you manifest everything. It’s a force by which we communicate what we think, how we feel and what our dreams are.

The Four Agreements, written by Don Miguel Ruiz, is a guideline to Toltec wisdom originating in Mexico. Toltec wisdom is not a religion, but rather a way of life that instills peace and happiness.

By practicing these agreements, we change how we relate to the world and importantly the relationship we have with ourselves. The first agreement is to Be Impeccable With Your Word.

There is a Buddhist quote that goes like this, ‘Before you speak, ask yourself, Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true?’

That is what being impeccable with your word is all about. Words have weight and contrary to the old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, “they can hurt deeply, or they can have the power to heal.  

Gossip is described by Ruiz as a spell of black magic that we have over each other, causing ourselves to doubt our worth and actions usually from the time we are a young child. He also describes it as a computer virus that degrades and confuses our thoughts and puts us on a trajectory of low self-esteem well into our adult lives. When tempted to talk about others, we can ask ourselves “How would it feel if we knew others were talking about us behind our backs?”

By practicing these agreements, we change how we relate to the world and importantly the relationship we have with ourselves. The first agreement is to Be Impeccable With Your Word.

There is a Buddhist quote that goes like this, ‘Before you speak, ask yourself, Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true?’

That is what being impeccable with your word is all about. Words have weight and contrary to the old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, “they can hurt deeply, or they can have the power to heal.  

Gossip is described by Ruiz as a spell of black magic that we have over each other, causing ourselves to doubt our worth and actions usually from the time we are a young child. He also describes it as a computer virus that degrades and confuses our thoughts and puts us on a trajectory of low self-esteem well into our adult lives. When tempted to talk about others, we can ask ourselves “How would it feel if we knew others were talking about us behind our backs?”