Have you ever picked up a self-help book thinking you already knew what it was about and that it didn’t have anything to offer you? Or that whatever the problem the book addressed didn’t apply to you? Such was the case when I obtained a digital copy of “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by don Miguel Ruiz.

It didn’t matter that the book spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, or that retailers sold more than 10 million copies of the book. Even Oprah Winfrey’s ringing endorsement couldn’t change my (prejudging) mind.

Yet, I was compelled to read it for some reason. So I started, expecting to put it down out of disinterest within the first chapter.

That didn’t happen.

In fact, within the first few pages, it became clear that Ruiz must’ve had me in mind when he wrote the book!

Ruiz claims in the book that the majority of humanity lives in Hell, a state created by our personal choices and actions that prevents us from experiencing the Heaven we were meant (and can still learn how) to experience on earth.

What keeps humans from this Heavenly state? Our inner Judge and Victim. Each of us has one, Ruiz claims, and both keep us from living our fullest and most fulfilling life. Judge keeps us from being who we really are with accusations and directions that lead us away from true happiness. Victim convinces us that we’ve been wronged or that nobody likes us.

Does any of this seem familiar? Enter the title of the book.

The four agreements are keys to freeing ourselves from the dictates of Judge and Victim. Make and practice these agreements and you can gradually progress toward Heaven on earth.

The first agreement simply states, “Be impeccable with your word.” At first, this might seem to mean to keep your promises, which is important, but is not the angle Ruiz was aiming for. Rather, he encourages us to use our words for good, to build others instead of tear them down.

The second agreement, “Don’t take anything personally,” Ruiz claims that by learning to not take things personally, we stop giving power over our inner peace to others. This is illustrated in the following excerpt:

“You are never responsible for the actions of others, you are only responsible for you. When you truly understand this, and refuse to take things personally, you can hardly be hurt by the careless comments or actions of others.”

The third agreement is “Don’t make assumptions.” This agreement is based on humanity’s tendency to assume that others’ actions and words are meant to hurt or disrespect us. Want inner peace? Ruiz asks. Part of the answer lies in not making assumptions.

The fourth agreement states, “Always do your best.” There’s no room for perfection in this agreement. Rather, in order to embrace this new reality, you’ve got to understand and accept that your best will never be perfect and that it will vary in different situations. For instance, your best when sick will not be as good as your best when healthy. The focus of this agreement is to, no matter your state of mind or body, always do the best of which you are capable.

On the surface, these agreements—new habits for many of us—may seem easy, but trying to put them into action will prove otherwise.

Ruiz does a good job of issuing these agreements in a way that seems doable, not overwhelming. In fact, he admits throughout the book that adopting these habits will be difficult, but not to lose hope or motivation.

At 156 pages, “The Four Agreements” is a quick read that can potentially change your life.