It’s 2020; what agreements have you made with yourself?

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Be impeccable with your word.” Don Miguel Ruiz | Janet Mills

The Four Agreements for a Better Life

Welcome to 2020! New decade. New thoughts. New you. Are you still one of those people who make resolutions. No judgment. If they work for you great, but do they actually work? According to Psychology Today, resolutions are a form of cultural procrastination. It is an effort to make changes, but let us be real; most people are not ready to change their habits. It is not that they don’t want to. They are just not ready.

A lot of it has to do with what we tell ourselves. I know. I know. I must sound like a broken record. Always talking about words. Well, there is good reason for that. If you have not had a chance, I would recommend you taking a moment to read The Four Agreements for a Better Life. The book is short, about 160 pages long, but what I have found to be true with knowledge, it is not about the quantity, but the quality of the source. A book does not have to be 800 pages long to teach you something.

I have slowly but surely started to share more of my story and I do so with the intent to inspire others, and to show them that anything is possible. I have done so by making agreements with myself and replacing the old agreements that I have made. “Be impeccable with your word,” means to speak with both intent and integrity. Say only what you mean, and avoid using words to speak against yourself or others. Gossip is like a virus that spreads quickly. It is the darkest magic you can find. What some of us do not realize is that when you speak against others, you are actually speaking against yourself.

Let us take a look at the word impeccable. It is of Latin origin (mid-16^th Century), and it means in (NOT) peccare (TO SIN), translating to impeccable, do not sin. When you make an agreement to be impeccable with your words, this means that you have agreed not to sin with your words. This is one of the most powerful agreements you can make with yourself this year.

We are the greatest at sinning against ourselves. We say things to ourselves like, “I am so stupid!” “I am so ugly!” “I am broke!” “I will never find a partner!” POISON. You are literally poisoning yourself. It is not your fault. We grew up hearing these spells floating around in grown up dialogue. We grew so used to these agreements that people make with themselves, that we just saw it natural to do it as well. For those who have grown up in abusive homes, words may have been used against us. These words became a part of us. We made agreements with these words, and this is why we end up in situations that have a nostalgic feel.

The spell that I hear cast the most in Caribbean homes is “You will never amount to anything.” I have heard this spoken in many homes, and it makes me cringe. Parents have no idea that the words they speak to their children become part of their journey. This spell is cast, and for years, the child agrees with what they think is true about them; they will not amount to anything. Naturally, they may find a decent job, but if they believed these words, and obliviously agreed with these words, they end up not living up to their full potential. You must become aware of the spell, and make a new agreement with yourself.

2020 people! Time to take stock of what agreements you have made with yourself over the years. You are responsible for creating love and abundance in your life, and you must not let people take that away from you, regardless of the place they hold in your life.