I’m not an expert at life and I’ve certainly had my fair share of problems. However, I’ve noticed life has gotten a whole lot better since I realized some simple things about myself that I was too stubborn, too blind and too stuck in my own problems to see before.

Reading “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom,” by Don Miguel Ruiz, changed my perception of life. I recommend it to everyone, reference it on a regular basis in my yoga teaching and meditation practice and use it as a reminder to stay connected to the agreements I needed to make with myself to move forward and not suck at life.

The agreements are simple to make, but hard to follow if we don’t really commit. And don’t just skim the book and decide it’s unnecessary—it’s life-changing!

To get you started, here are the agreements:

Be impeccable with your word.

Don’t take anything personally.

Don’t make assumptions.

Always do your best.

These four agreements are the foundation for creating a positive life. Once we invite in positivity, we recognize our ability to become a conduit and attractor of more positivity and things get even better. If this sounds appealing, keep reading…

The following are five more essentials I think everyone can do on a practical basis in everyday life to put the four agreements to the test. They are what most of us struggle with, and once we recognize how intertwined they are with the laws of attraction, we will change our patterns and habits. It won’t happen overnight, though—it takes time and practice.

Commitment

No, we don’t have to go out and get married, or even commit to a full-time job if we don’t have one. But we do need to start by making small commitments to friends for birthday get-togethers, create a schedule to enact our purpose in life and commit to taking care of our own needs. We all overbook ourselves, so we need to be honest about what we can handle. It’s important to start small, because it takes practice and time to figure out what we can actually do in a day.

Take Care of Yourself

The practice of commitment leads us to focus on self-care. If we commit to making time to work out, practice yoga, or hike on a regular basis, we learn what we need so we can start showing up for other people. If we can only fit in our workout at 9 pm, then that is when we do it. There will be no regrets.

Give Thanks

Finding gratitude each day is a must for personal happiness. Each time we allow for self-care, we can give thanks to ourselves for making the time to focus on ourselves. Recognizing the people around us and how they have helped us get from A to B is important as well. We surround ourselves with people who lift us up, not hold us down. If we can’t find anyone in our community we feel is worthy of a thank you, we can do one of two things: recognize that perhaps we aren’t being grateful or re-evaluate who we’re hanging out with. It may mean finding a new circle. Being thankful for the little things, like the sun shining after a week of cloudy days, or waking up before the alarm clock is a blessing, so soak it up and shift that perspective.

Positive Words

Speaking kindly to ourselves and others matters. Sometimes we’re so hard on ourselves, we begin to realize that if one of our friends spoke to us the way we speak to ourselves, that person might not last very long in our lives. We don’t have to be rainbows and sunshine all the time, but we do need to adjust our internal monologue and carry it through to others.

Also, pay attention to how much we apologize. This was a hard one for me. Recognizing I was apologizing to others for things out of my control wasn’t positive. It meant I felt I was carrying the weight of issues not in my power and trying to be accountable for something that wasn’t on me. Find an affirmation and put it up on a mirror, in the car—all over—so it becomes a daily reminder. Read it and start believing it. It takes reinforcement and it’s not easy, but I know we can do it.

Loyalty

I didn’t realize how important this one was until I experienced disloyalty in my own life. I think it goes hand in hand with recognizing our teachers—whether parents, professors, mentors, colleagues, strangers or friends. Perhaps it’s the Sagittarius in my zodiac, but loyalty is a powerful thing. It helps us build trust and reminds us to find gratitude (see Give Thanks above). Supporting those we love, those who’ve helped us along the way and those who saw our light when we couldn’t see it ourselves is a requirement for not sucking at life.

Those without loyalty, who waiver and can’t commit (see Commitment above) don’t get ahead. Switching allegiance to what feels fashionable, taking someone else’s word on something without learning the facts, or becoming sheep only keeps us in the flock; it doesn’t allow us to find our own way.

These guidelines don’t just help us not suck at life, they actually help us thrive. Unbelievable changes will take place by making a few adjustments. These little tweaks will help us find out who we are, send us in the right direction and help us answer life’s important questions as they arise.

Now get out there and rock this life!

Author: Sarah Russell

Editor: Evan Yerburgh

Image: Flickr