Living by principles, which are essentially guidelines for the application of Values for Behavior, is fundamental to psychological flexibility and, as understood through Relational-ACT, foundational to living a mentally healthy life. One such set of principles is found here in Don Miguel Ruiz’s book “The Four Agreements.” This is a book that, over the last twenty years, I’ve come back to often whenever there’s a big change in my life, or when I’ve started pursuing a new project. While over the years I have found that I don’t completely agree with Ruiz’s writing, that isn’t a huge surprise, as there isn’t anyone, including myself, that I agree with. Regardless, I return because the reflections inspired by the Agreements are a continual source of personal growth.
This is an introductory overview of Ruiz’s book and the Agreements he spells out, with some reflections and initial thoughts on subtle disagreements for their application. Every week for the month of November, I will be doing another live presentation, going through each Agreement, and providing practice tips and a worksheet for personal reflection. Those presentations will be hosted in The Clearing community, an online space I’ve created for exactly the kind of critical reflection that inspires personal growth, which I believe is integral to living a mentally healthy life.
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David
