The book that changed my life, by Jayson Grayson

It was a wintry Wednesday afternoon in Detroit. The city was covered in the purest white snow. Ice sickles had begun to form on my porch, and kids were rejoicing about school being closed. I sat silently looking out my window as snow continued to fall, and my neighbors, young and old, attempted to shovel their drive and walk ways. It had been snowing for a while as I observed that there were no tire tracks in the street; no one even attempted to drive in the wintry conditions. 

Completely lost in trance, I couldn’t help but  think my mind was trying to shift focus on the weather because of all the things that were stressing me out and causing major anxiety. I was going through many changes in my life. Some changes I was open to, like being newly single. On the other hand, I was reluctant to accept the fact that I had also lost my job and had no way to pay my phone bill and car insurance. I'd never been this down on my luck before. Hardship is something I'm familiar with, but it always catches me by surprise, no matter how large or small the obstacle is. I always have this idea about how my life should go, and I get extremely frustrated when it doesn't go as planned.

After a few days had gone by, the snow melted away and the roads were safe to travel on. I went to visit my mentor, Reco. After hours of crying and sharing every intimate detail about the ruins of my life, he was finally able to calm me down. As I gathered myself and worked through my grief, Reco demonstrated a few breathing techniques he used to help with anxiety and stress. Along with the breathing exercises were some positive affirmations he believed I needed to hear in order to stay positive and not so worried. 

My first reaction was how is this going to help pay my bills, but then I opened up and become more receptive to his words. I had to learn to have faith and trust my process. Relieved and purged, I had a renewed sense of confidence and believed that everything would work itself out. My entire outlook on life changed for the better. 

Before I left my mentor's office, he suggested that I read this book, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills. In high spirits, I was in a great mood to learn more and better myself in every way. This book completely changed my life. Reco was sure not to share much information with me before I read it because he wanted me to develop my own thoughts about it. He wanted me to follow up with him and share my own interpretation of the book.

The Four Agreements helped me put my life into a better perspective. I learned how not to take anything personally and to live with no regret. I learned that my biggest problem was the problems that I was creating in my head. The book encouraged self-reflection and and got me to look at my past and how I've handled obstacles in life.The Four Agreements is about agreements you make to yourself as rules to live by. It’s a self-guiding book that helps you, and you can always go back to reference it throughout life. No matter where you are in life, you can use this book to achieve more. 

My favorite takeaway from the book was to be impeccable with my words. I learned how much my words mean to me and how they shape my way of thinking. My words affect my thoughts but also what I attract in my life. I learned to be extremely careful but also intentional in what I want to manifest in my life. The Four Agreements was the best book I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it for everyone, no matter where you are in life.