For months I saw it – that little book with the olive-green and red cover – on the product display at Jamba Juice. Each time I visited Jamba, I would pick up the book, briefly thumb through it, put it down, and turn my back on it. Countless times I’d read the book’s sub-title, “A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom,” and dismiss it as nonsense. Or I’d read the inside flap and the back cover, and ignore the curiosity and anxiety that arose within me.

With each visit, though, my intrigue grew and my resistance decreased. Finally, after six months of giving it the cold shoulder, I gave in. I bought it.

For the next three months it sat on my desk and I played a similar cat-and-mouse game: I would briefly pick it up, begin reading the Introduction, and then toss it back on my desk a moment later. I thought it’s just a book for god’s sake and I’m clearly drawn to the subject matter; yet, I am resisting something.

After three months, I packed it in my carry-on bag for a cross-country flight. Moments after settling into my seat, I pulled the book out and read it from cover to cover. Loved it!

The book is Don Miguel’s The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. It’s about the limiting beliefs we hold, how they interfere with our personal freedom, and how we can offset them by making just four profoundly simple agreements with ourselves: 

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best

These four agreements form the antithesis of being invisible. For example, upon reading the book, I discovered why I resisted buying it: I am not always impeccable with my word, I sometimes take things personally, and I constantly make assumptions. This book confronted the beliefs that directly fortify my invisibility and I wasn’t ready to give them up. It’s no wonder I didn’t want to read The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. 

Is it time to confront your limiting beliefs or to make life-changing agreements with yourself? If so, I encourage you to buy the book, commit to the agreements, and become more visible.  572 people (to date) have posted reviews of this book on Amazon.com, garnering it 4.5 stars out of 5.

I also invite you to take one or more of the following questions and post your response as a Comment or, if you prefer privacy, write your answers in a personal journal:

• What are you turning your back on or resisting that might otherwise lead you to being more visible?
• Like that little book at Jamba Juice, what is constantly calling out to you that you are purposefully ignoring?
• What beliefs have you cultivated that seem to fortify your invisibility? What would letting go of those beliefs give you?
• What would it mean for your life to be impeccable with your word, never to take things personally, never make assumptions, and always do your best?

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