An Evening with Author Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
I had the special treat of going to Fallbrook last week to attend the event, “An Intimate Evening with Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.” at the Hilltop Spiritual Center. Great center by the way! Darling town too! We went straight after work, so we arrived just before his talk started.
If you do not know you Don Miguel Ruiz is, he is the author of the book “The Four Agreements for a Better Life & The Mastery of Self.”
The First Agreement is “Impeccable with Your Word” – He explained this as also your attention and certainly not just your word. The intention of your word is so much more important here as he gave several examples of how the word can be taken out of context or in the wrong context without knowing the intention of it.
The Second Agreement is “Don’t Take Anything Personally. “For this he had a fantastic story about his dad showing up to dinner in his pajamas at a fancy dinner occasion. What the takeaway from this for me is that “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Wow! That was powerfully true and really hit me.
The Third Agreement is Don’t Make Assumptions. If you want to know the truth, you must be willing to listen to the answer. Don’t believe any of your assumptions because this is based on the conditions of what we know and not all that we know or that pertains to the situation.
The Fourth Agreement is “Always do your best.” It is all built on the beautiful foundation of “doing your best” as being your unconditional love for yourself! It is the here and now, utilizing the Four Agreements as an instrument of determining your yes and no. So, my theme is his theme, and it can be your theme too! Wisely choosing your yes and no for you! Take your time to reason.
I talk about my transformation in life, and my calling of Heart Driven Purpose through my “yes and no,” but it was intriguing to hear his Fifth Agreement to “Have Scrutiny and to Learn to Listen” He explained it as to hold “back your yes and hold back your no, scrutinize if it is true or not, take the time to reason by learning to listen.” Such a great way to reflect on this philosophy.
Important to note, the agreements are not conditions. Do not judge self or others, do not force or push them on to others either. Otherwise you have turned the agreements into corruption, and it is a pretending to be something it is not. You are not. It was beautiful to see this famous author stand before us and say, “I am Don Miguel Ruiz Jr and I am not always impeccable with my word; I don’t always do my best, I sometimes take things personal and I sometimes make assumptions.” Yet with just as much command “there is tomorrow to try.” What he captured and what I feel I am feeling and hearing from the world today is for us to all become human again! We are not above it all or below it, we can connect with each other on a human level and it can be far from perfect and that is the beauty of it too!
I certainly recommend Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.’s books too. If you would one of his books to be added to our book club readings, let me know! It is about reading and having great conversations with others.
By the way, this photo is most precious. He just finished his two-hour talk. He was incredibly energetic and engaged the entire time and yet he didn’t miss a beat when I went to meet him. He was most gracious, happy to take a photo and his joy was contagious! Such positive energy too. Love his humility, positivity, kindness, message, and joy plus his big hug! Truly genuine.
Thank you, Rachel, for taking this photo, driving to Fallbrook from Long Beach and most gratefully driving us home! My eyes are not the best at night sometimes.