Exploring the Jaw-Dropping Truths About Self-Awareness From The Four Agreements.

For more than 10 years, The Four Agreements was a bestseller in The New York Times. It has sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. Don Miguel Ruiz was a surgeon when a tragic car crash forever changed his life and he became an author.

According to Ruiz's worldview, our worlds are all comprised of labels, concepts, and beliefs. But he claims they are all illusions. Let's take a look at the eight surprising truths about self-awareness revealed by Don Miguel Ruiz in his book "The Four Agreements."

1. The lies we tell ourselves are the biggest barrier to our progress towards self-awareness. We only accept lies we have trained ourselves to believe in our never-ending hunt for the truth. Because we have created false agreements with ourselves, we cannot face reality.

2. Our entire worldview, all concepts, and all programming are all just a fog. We fight life because we can't recognize who we really are, are terrified of being ourselves, and spend our days attempting to please other people.

3. Our ability to evolve as human beings will be stunted if we constantly strive for perfection. To gain other people's acceptance, we strive to be flawless. We always strive to meet their expectations, and when we fall short, we reject ourselves.

4. Our feelings of guilt and shame are not the result of something we did in the outside world. It occurs when we fail to live up to our own ideal of perfection. We can't forgive ourselves for not becoming who we want to be. We become abusive to ourselves and then abuse others.

5. We will cease taking things personally if we fully embrace ourselves, and we will no longer feel the need to be correct or defend our thoughts and opinions. Neither a personal attack nor praise will alter our self-image because we don't have the need to be accepted by others.

6. We have a tendency to make assumptions and then accept them as true. We are so terrified of facing reality that we seek solace in constructing assumptions and building an emotional prison. Assumptions cause us to suffer and prevent us from seeing things as they truly are.

7. Questioning everything is how we can progress towards self-awareness. Assumptions create chaos, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation of reality. Asking questions brings us closer to the truth about ourselves and the world around us.

8. When you take action to get to know yourself and extract joy from it, you are actually doing your best. It fills you with happiness and delight. You are not attached to the rewards that will come your way. Inaction is denying life, while action is living fully.