The First Agreement: How To Be Impeccable With Your Word
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The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is one of my favorite books of all time. As a coach who helps creative entrepreneurs gain clarity and confidence, the book is especially meaningful to me. I believe all four agreements are essential to living a life in alignment with your unique purpose.
In this blog post we’ll explore a quick breakdown of the first agreement, plus 4 simple ways you can practice it in your life.
The first agreement is simple but powerful: Be impeccable with your word.
In The Four Agreements, Ruiz explains that your words are magic. He says you can use your words to create good in the world, or to create chaos and spread negativity. Your words include your thinking too since thoughts are words you hear on the inside.
What does it mean to be impeccable with your word?
To be impeccable with your word mean to:
Speak with integrity, honesty, and truthfulness
Say only what you mean
Speak only of what you desire and want to happen
Avoid speaking negatively about yourself or others
Use your words in a positive direction of truth and love
I like to think of using my words as using good magic. When you speak of what you desire in the world and feel good as you speak it, you can feel the flow of magic through you. If you feel good, you’re thinking and speaking with integrity or in a way that feels true to you. If you feel bad as you think and speak, you’re out of integrity with yourself.
Since thoughts and words are choices, learning how to think and speak in a way that feels good and helps you create what you desire can add immense value to your life.
Being impeccable with your word takes practice and time—it’s an ongoing journey! By practicing awareness, you can focus on thoughts and words that truly represent how you want to feel and communicate with others.
If you’d like to learn more about being impeccable with your words and thoughts, here are a few of my favorite alignment tools including books, journaling prompts, etc.
Here are 4 ways you can be impeccable with your word:
1) Notice when you’re saying something out of habit that actually might not be true. How many times do you repeat a thought such as “I don’t have enough time to get everything done.” Is that true? Or are you spending all of your time thinking that thought over and over instead of just doing the things you want to get done? Try asking yourself: “Is this thought really true?”
2) Shift ever so slightly to a more positive statement from where you are. You can shift from “I’m so tired” to “I’m excited to lay my head down tonight.” You can shift from “I’m so busy” to “I’m thankful to have so many wonderful things to fill my days with.” Even though they are slight shifts, they can make you feel better and the energy in the sentence feels completely different. That is the difference between creating what you want or adding to more of what you don’t want. Notice which thought feels better and which thought is most true for you.
3) Instead of focusing on what you don’t have or what’s gone wrong, think about the solution you hope for and all the ways things could go right in the future. Instead of speaking of the problem, start using your words to speak of the solution.
4) Practice tuning in and asking yourself, “How do I feel right now?” Take note of when you feel good—it’s a sign you’re thinking and speaking with integrity and in alignment. If you feel bad, note that, too. It means you’re thinking and speaking out of integrity. Work to find thoughts that feel good to think and bring your attention only to them.
For a deeper understanding of the other agreements along with tips on how to practice them, check out these posts
Remember, you are a magnificent creator. You can choose to create your life feeling good along the way. Using your thoughts and words to feel good is the simplest and most efficient way to create more of that which you desire. Want to learn more about how coaching can help you connect to your authentic self? Schedule a complimentary clarity call below to learn more about coaching and how it can help you align with your most authentic self.