Do you find this as hard as I do?
Being impeccable with your word.
It’s one of the four agreements in Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements. In fact it’s the first one because it’s really that powerful.
What does being impeccable with your word mean to you?
For me it means saying what I mean, meaning and doing what I say, and speaking kind truths to myself and others.
Sounds easy. It’s not.
I’ll admit, I’ve come a long way. I used to be my own worst enemy. I’d beat myself up all the time and use a lot of negative ‘motivation’ to succeed. It worked but damn. What a high price I paid daily in terms of peace of mind, ease, flow, and joy.
Did you know that talking like shit to and about yourself decreases your…
energy
motivation
willpower
joy/happiness
self-confidence and self-trust
And increases…
the length of time it takes to reach your goal both in perceived and real time
anxiety and stress
Being impeccable with your loving word to yourself definitely pays off.
So, the beautiful thing about this book is that there are so many levels and layers to each agreement. When I re-read the Be impeccable with your word chapter recently this nuance caught my eye:
Gossiping, speaking unkind, judging, feeling better than, or throwing an attitude toward others is an absolute reflection on us. This caught my eye because this is where I apparently need work.
I was just looking for the book to reference this but I think I left it at my friend’s place! Damn. Let me see if I can articulate from memory….
All of the negative we throw around and dole out is just a reflection of where we are on the self-growth scale.
Judging, feeling better than, speaking unkind, or throwing an attitude in the direction of someone who ‘should know better’, ‘is a dumb-ass’, ‘gets on our last nerve’, etc. is simply us not being impeccable with our word.
We often feel so justified in speaking ill about people not like us when in fact it just highlights our intolerance, lack of compassion, peace, love and connection.
And here’s where it gets good!
When we develop those very things within ourselves we become more impeccable with our word and the people we encounter in our daily lives no longer wear us out or get on our last nerve. Our demeanor is replaced with tolerance, love, and compassion. A much better way to move through life, right!?
And hey, I'm curious!
What does being impeccable with your word mean to you? How do you honor this agreement? Is there an aspect that you could up-level in your life? I'd love to know!
Let's start a conversation about this life-changing topic! Share your perspective in the comments below!
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