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

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In the guide, we’ll often refer to the authors, don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz, as “the naguals.” Naguals, sometimes referred to as dreamers, masters, or scholars, act as a conduit between the spirit and the world, and pass on the teachings of the Toltec—whom the Ruizes say were the intellectual and cultural predecessors of the Aztec. To them, a Toltec is an artist of the spirit: a master storyteller who paints his own reality. We bet you don’t have a clue about what are you supposed to do! Meaning that your anecdote mustn’t be a part of your present state so that it cannot influence you. Always do your best - the power is inside of you, not outside. You have the power to create your life.

We ended up being taught both at school and home – how to behave like adults. In reality, they or in some case “we” are the ones who misbehave. During the second stage, the naguals explain, we become aware of the ways our beliefs harm us and begin to disconnect from the mirage. We begin to doubt that the mirage is truly “the real world,” and awaken to the many small ways in which the beliefs we grew up with manifest as harm. We make adjustments to the way we respond to, think about, and see ourselves, others, and the world. We start to see what’s actually here, instead of what’s not here. Shortform Commentary: What Does Acceptance Mean? Be open to other people’s views, but protect your viewpoints – would be the most accurate description, briefly presented. Tell the story, don’t be the story The fourth agreement comes naturally afterward – strive for perfection by performing at your very best. Next, you need to have the awareness that the voice of the storyteller in your head is not necessarily your voice.Perhaps your perception of right and wrong comes from a religious belief? If this is the case, what's the reason you belong to a particular religion? Is it because you grew up with this faith? Perhaps you were introduced to religion later on in life? Maybe you gave up your faith? Whatever the case, your religious views are part of the reality that you've created for yourself. And this is where things become complicated. If you talk to most people about their religion, they will all argue that theirs is the "correct" one. Who is right? What is the truth? If you define your “best” as the highest bar you’ve ever achieved and expect that of yourself no matter the circumstances, you set yourself up for failure and disappointment. In contrast, the naguals suggest, when you accept that you’ve done what you can for the day, you have no reason to beat yourself up; self-criticism becomes unnecessary and unreasonable. Growing up doesn’t mean stop exploring, and taking a defensive stance. It’s needless to say that often things flow in a predictable direction. Further, the naguals argue that our beliefs are also subjective—and that, because we use language to describe those beliefs, our words carry preconceived notions about what is true, what is good, and what is bad. The naguals believe that, as a result, when we communicate with each other, we describe our subjective reality in subjective terms. Two people can hear the same words and interpret them differently. So it's always a good idea to harness the power of doubt. We need to be critical and skeptical when new symbols come along. We need to remember that just because something is glittering, it may not be gold.

Every artist distorts the truth, but you don’t need to judge what somebody says, or call that person a liar. All of us tell lies in one way or another, and it’s not because we want to lie. It’s because of what we believe; it’s because of the symbols we learned, and the way we are applying all of those symbols. Once you are aware of this, the fifth agreement makes a lot of sense, and it can make a very big difference in your life. Even if your partner asks for your help, you have the choice to say no. Saying no doesn't mean you don't love or accept your partner; it means you are not able or you don't want to play that game. To have faith is to believe without a doubt, and to doubt is to be skeptical. Don’t believe all the stories that we artists create with our knowledge. You know that most of our knowledge isn’t true, so don’t believe me, don’t believe yourself, and don’t believe anybody else. The truth doesn’t need you to believe it; the truth simply is, and it survives whether you believe it or not. Lies need you to believe them. If you don’t believe lies, they don’t survive your skepticism, and they simply disappear. Finally, you need to practice awareness until you master awareness. When you master awareness as a habit, you always see life the way it is, not the way you want to see it. Shortform note: There are many paths to discarding self-limiting beliefs and reclaiming a feeling of self-worth, and the Toltec road is just one of these. For example, cognitive behavioral therapists specialize in mindset-change—helping clients adjust the way they think about themselves and their day-to-day lives to gradually eliminate self-criticism and shame.)It is a good book to make you evaluate your life and get rid of needless worry. Basically, it is saying your life can be anything you make it. Just look at things in the light you want to have it. The 5th Agreement is the follow up to The 4th Agreement. All are good points, but I would just skip to this book because he goes over everything from the 1st book in some detail, but adds the 5th agreement which is doubt. I think that for me that is the most meaningful one. It is something that is hard to do, but amazing what can happen once applied.