If you regularly break your commitments to yourself or others, recognize this and learn to say no more. And slowly build your yeses back up again to something realistic for you.
Also — Avoid gossip, self-criticism, and using your words to harm others or yourself. Use the power of your words to uplift and inspire.
Agreement 2: Don’t Take Anything Personally
We live in a world of projection.
Nothing others do is because of you — it’s a reflection of their own reality (and vice versa).
When you stop taking things personally, you become immune to manipulation, offence, and emotional pain.
The best way to start doing this is by learning to befriend your triggers and uncomfortable feelings. When you learn to embrace them fully, sit with them and not react to them, they will eventually disappear and leave you feeling more peaceful. I recommend reading the chapter Removing the Thorn fromthe book The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer.
Befriending your triggers, combined with learning to recognize projection, will help you navigate this world with less drama and reactivity.
Agreement 3: Don’t Make Assumptions
Communicate clearly to avoid misunderstandings, drama, and resentment.
If you are unsure of something, always ask for clarity.
Clarity breeds peace. It will save you so much anguish and gift you so much peace if you learn to combine not taking things personally with not making assumptions. It becomes a protective shield against drama and chaos that can be self-generated by the mind.
Agreement 4: Always Do Your Best
This statement beautifully blends putting forth genuine effort towards your goals or tasks without being hypercritical or perfectionistic.
It’s okay not to be perfect. [Side note — anyone who is a perfectionist has internalized shame. Release the shame, and the perfectionist diminishes.]
It’s not okay to remain stagnant for fear of not being perfect.
To be clear, I don’t mean that ‘you're bad’ if you are sitting in neutral twiddling your thumbs. What I mean is, when you are pushing back against the force of life and the direction it's trying to take you, your mind will start to feel this vague, nonspecific stress.
Taking any action (even if it's messy and imperfect) towards your goals will help get rid of this stress. It really works.
