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The Four Agreements

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como water the 4 agreementsOver the past week, I’ve been dealing with a situation that has made me distraught. In talking with a friend about it, I realized that I had fallen into two unhealthy habits–a) making assumptions and b) taking things personally.

As I talked with him, I remembered a book that I had read last summer–Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements. In the next few days, two different friends–one in Virginia and one in Maine–quoted the book.

This was three times this book has come up in less than a week. And if you know me at all by now, you should know what this means. It was a sign to reengage with this book! So, I took a day this past weekend to re-read it. Slowly. To savor the pages. To connect with the lessons. To apply the wisdom to this very situation I’m trying to traverse in the healthiest, happiest, most adaptive way possible.

And yes, this also meant that I wanted to share these four agreements with all of you. Below, you’ll find the quick version. If you’ve read the book, take this as a refresher. If you haven’t read the book, take this as a sign that perhaps this would be a great moment to read it. In any event, enjoy and have a great Monday! 😀

The Four Agreements

Be Impeccable with Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.

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Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

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