The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery
What we perceive as true, not objective truths such as the existence of trees, but perception truths such as pretty, ugly; fat or thin bodies only true because we agree to it.
1st Agreement: Be impeccable with your word
Authenticity, be true to yourself and others. Be precise. Do not use language instrumentally, do not create delusion.
2nd Agreement: Don’t take anything personally
Everyone has their perception of the world and when they judge you or critique you, they are doing it based on that perception. This does not mean that their perception, or yours, is accurate. You can be vastly different from how you are perceived.
3rd Agreement: Don’t make assumptions
Our perception is limited and through it we make assumptions, especially when we do not know enough. Then we start believing these assumptions, instead of finding out what’s real, which may just be lies or distorted realities which may set us on a long road of self-deception.
4th Agreement: Always do your best
Act towards doing your best and changing your dream (perception/world). The meaning of “best” changes over time as we change over time. Our best of today is not our best of tomorrow. Always give 100%, relative as it may be.
5th Agreement: Be sceptical, but learn to listen
Most of our perceptions build our own view (dream) of the world. But these perceptions are based on past agreements that we adopted while we were growing up. When people talk, they present their own perceptions, and agreements, of the world. This does not make them true neither their view nor yours. Question them after you have listened to them.
The dream of the first, second and third attention
They describe different levels of awareness and control of our own agreements. From victim (no control over agreements) to warriors (some agreements are questioned and changed) and masters (all agreements are accepted, and all judgements stop, self-acceptance is at its peak).