The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

I finished reading The Four Agreements about a week ago now.  It was a really great book when I finished reading it.  But since then, the book has become a powerful one.  It's one of those books that the longer I sit on it and think, the better it becomes.

Years ago when I was teaching English, the Senior Honors class read it.  It's been on my list of to-read books since then.  For whatever reason, I finally got around to reading it...and I was surprised.  To begin with, I had no idea what it was about.  I just picked it up and began to read.  Immediately, I was hooked.  Partly because it seems that over the past year or so, I've been on my own little spiritual journey, I guess you could call it.  There are aspects of my life that I'm really trying to improve.  Habits, attitudes, thoughts.  There's so much of me that needs to change and I have been trying to take a different approach to changing it all.  Prayerfully, yes.  Spiritually, definitely.  And so as I read, I felt like what he said really resonated with me right now.

The concept is that we make agreements, agreements, I suppose, with the universe.  We feel a certain way because we agree with the comment.  We call a table a table, because someone told us it was a table when we were young, and we agreed to it.  That idea, right there, gave me a sense of control.  I don't have to agree with everything.  I can challenge certain thoughts that run through my mind.  I've always known this, but you know how sometimes, you hear the same thing over and over again...but then you hear the same concept in a different way and it just clicks?  I think that's what this book did for me.

My friend posted her review of this book stating that it was a waste of time (pretty much).  That it's the same stuff that you find in other new-age self-help books.  She was absolutely right.  When I read that, I stepped back and thought, "Um, she's right.  Why did I like this book so much?"  I think for me, it was all about the timing.  It was the right time for me to read this.  In fact, it was a spiritual read for me, when I felt prompted many times by the Spirit as to specific changes I needed to make.  It was all timing.

It's a great book.  Usually with great books, I'd recommend it to everyone.  This, I wouldn't.  For some, reading the summary somewhere is good enough.  The writing itself felt repetitious and that annoyed me at times.  And, for people like my husband, I think it could feel a little too new-age...too much off in space.  Though the concepts are great and we can all benefit from the agreements, just read to find out what they are.  Maybe don't read the book if you're not totally interested.

So, here you have it.  And see what I mean?  It's not all that deep.  But for me, it was deeper than this.  So, whatever.  Read this little image and you won't have to read the book.  Make yourself a better person. :)