The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery (A Toltec Wisdom Book)

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All artists live in their own dream, in their own world. In that world, whatever they perceive is truth for them, and it could be that it’s absolutely true for the artists who are expressing their story, but it’s not truth for you. The only truth for you is what you perceive in your world. With this awareness, there’s nothing to prove to anyone. It’s not about being right or wrong. You respect whatever somebody says because respect is so important. When you learn to listen, you show respect for other artists, you show respect for their art, for their creation. Speak with integrity and say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. The Second Agreement – DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY Take your time with this book as well. Soon you’ll be introduced to a new perspective – which indicates why patience is key in life. The third step in the Toltec path is to accept that you can’t guess what someone else is thinking or what’s going on in their life. This is essentially the previous step in reverse: The naguals explain that your assumptions about another person’s reasoning or behavior aren’t based on what's really going on with them, but on your (probably false) perception of them. Therefore, when you expect others to behave a certain way, you set yourself up for disappointment. The naguals’ suggestion? To avoid disappointment and be happy socially, stop making these kinds of assumptions. Shortform note: When you use your words to hurt others, you risk starting long-term conflicts. In The Anatomy of Peace, the Arbinger Institute explains that when we provoke, demean, and infuriate others, we motivate them to respond in kind and initiate a cycle of mistreatment. As the cycle continues, we stop seeing them as people, instead seeing them as distasteful objects that can’t be reasoned with. Over time, the conflict festers and grows, dragging in those around us as we grow further and further apart. Do others the courtesy of seeing them as people, with needs, struggles, and hopes of their own—you’ll find it harder to justify using your words and actions to hurt them, and that will keep you out of cyclical conflicts.) Step 2: Remember It’s Not About You

Rule #4 Always Do Your Best- Your best will change from moment to moment depending on various factors but no matter what always do your best. Not 80% one day and 100% the next, always do your best. Always do your best - the power is inside of you, not outside. You have the power to create your life.Rule #5 Be Skeptical But Listen- "Symbols are only the truth because we agree, not because they are the truth." A tree is a tree because we all agree so, that may not be what the creator called it. We as humans have the need to come up with language and symbols to communicate. The emphasis falls on the word or should you prefer the term “agree.” The symbolic meaning is both explained and presented as an asset, not as some universal truth. Don't make assumptions - ask open questions and clarify each aspect. Each person has a different understanding of each word. The second step on the Toltec path to reclaiming your personal freedom is to understand that the words and actions of others are based on their own relative perceptions: They’re not actually about you.

The reason we see magenta in our daily lives is that our brains are used to averaging the colors we see into a blend. Green and red, when seen together, become yellow because yellow is the average wavelength between green and red. When red and purple appear together, we should see green—it’s the average wavelength between the two. But it doesn’t “make sense” for red and purple to mix into green, so our brains substitute “magenta.” Essentially, we only see magenta because “it looks right”—not because it reflects reality.In The Fifth Agreement, don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz describe five “agreements” to make with yourself that adjust the way you see the world and your place in it. As you put these principles into practice, you’ll rediscover your true self and recapture the freedom and wholehearted love and joy you enjoyed as a child. Once we have a basic grasp of language, we begin to develop a sense of morality and ethics. We usually start by learning about "right and wrong," "good and bad," and "reward and punishment." In short, we learn about behavior. We observe behavior, we buy into what constitutes good behavior, we believe it, and we agree with it. Rules work because they're universally regarded. Parenting and teaching promote the belief that good behavior is rewarded, and consequences are often viewed unfavorably. We're told there are "consequences for our actions." I can’t dive deeper into all of them here, but I’d like to share the Ruizs’ reasoning behind where our need for new agreements with ourselves comes from. This’ll also help us understand the first one. Here are my 3 takeaways from The Fifth Agreement: Shortform note: The “doubt” the naguals are promoting is what’s often called “healthy skepticism.” It’s important to note that a skeptic is different from a cynic: While a cynical person leverages doubt to avoid adjusting their worldview, doubting evidence that contradicts their beliefs, a skeptic holds off on making adjustments until they’ve gathered sufficient evidence to determine what’s really true.) However, a lot of our reality isn't factual; it's constructed. You may remember the line from the Truman Show that we like to use quite frequently at Briefer: 'We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.' In other words, we live in a world filled with discourses, ideologies, and beliefs that aren't necessarily a depiction of reality. The message of this book is to embrace skepticism, learn to listen to alternate views, and develop the art of critical thinking. The Power of Perception

People will come to you and tell you their personal story, their point of view, what they believe is truth. But you won’t judge if it’s truth or if it’s not truth. You don’t have any judgment, but you do have respect. You listen to the way other people express themselves, knowing that whatever they say is nothing but a story distorted by their beliefs. You know that because you can feel it. You just know. But you also know when their words come from truth, and you know without words, and that’s the main point. Don’t believe yourself or anybody else unconditionally. Use the power of doubt to question everything you hear: Is it really the truth? Listen to the intent behind the words and you will understand the real message. In short, the naguals contend that our perception of reality—and therefore the way we think, feel, and behave—changes based on what we believe. As we begin to challenge and overcome the false “truths” we accepted as children, we grow progressively freer. The Fifth Agreement is to see the world through our own belief systems, and then to look at how our beliefs shape our reality. Why do we accept the symbols around us as reality? And how have we been indoctrinated into accepting a "shared existence?"Doing your best is about trusting in yourself and trusting in creation, the force of life. You set a goal and go for it 100 percent without any attachment to attaining it. Most of us think we would be happier if we had more symbols, more objects, more wealth. The truth is that so often, our pursuit of happiness makes us miserable because we grow frustrated and despondent. Sapiens revealed that so much of what we have, comes from the idea of a "shared imagination," and happiness and freedom rely on this premise. What is happiness? The Fifth Agreement builds on the self-help cult classic The Four Agreements. It explores self-mastery, the pursuit of wisdom, and finding our ultimate truth. By upholding this agreement, we'll be more enlightened. Before domestication, our tendency was to explore, express creativity, seek pleasure, and avoid pain. I like that they remind us that even though the past is over, as a species we tend to punish ourselves for years with guilt, etc. from actions long gone. I also like this line:

When it comes to religion and matters of faith, science can't help us come up with a definitive answer. So we have to learn to think critically and question what we're being sold through religious narratives. How do we perceive religion? And, although there are no real answers to these questions, the whole point of The Fifth Agreement is to cultivate a sense of curiosity and skepticism about the world we live in. Furthermore, it's our duty to educate ourselves about other people's beliefs, and listen to what they say, regardless of whether we agree with them or not. The Four Agreements (1997) [ edit ] Don't Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. If you'd like to surrender the lies that keep you in bondage... study this book and try to live by its principles if it resonates with you. The goal is to live YOUR LIFE instead of the life of THE BELIEF SYSTEM. This is a practical guide to self-mastery. But, even this is a choice, no one can take advantage of you if you don’t establish such a hostile relationship with yourself.Don't Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. The fourth step on the Toltec path is to do the best you can. As you work to challenge and adjust your beliefs and implement the first three steps, the naguals say you’ll inevitably experience missteps and mistakes. Don’t take that to mean you’re not improving. As long as you’re always doing your best, you’ll continue to progress. Growth takes time, the naguals admit, and a mindset shift like this is a big adjustment. With awareness, we recover the control of our story. That is the good news. If we don't like our story, we are the authors; we can change it. Once you realize that hardly anything you know through symbols is true, then be skeptical has a much bigger meaning. Be skeptical is masterful because it uses the power of doubt to discern the truth. Whenever you hear a message from yourself or from another artist, simply ask: Is it truth, or is it not truth? Is it reality or is it a virtual reality? The doubt takes you behind the symbols and makes you responsible for every message you deliver and receive. Why invest your faith in any message that is not true? By being skeptical, you don’t believe every message; you don’t put your faith in symbols, and when your faith is not in symbols, your faith is in yourself. The fourth agreement comes naturally afterward – strive for perfection by performing at your very best.