As reported by ESPN, Tom Brady lives by the advice of Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements. This is a great book that can help you to create a powerful mindset to improve yourself and your business. I highly recommend digging into the principles of this book to develop a mentality of winning that will be free of distraction, free of the criticism from others, and free of fear.
Whether you are a fan of Tom Brady or not, you can understand his motivation throughout his career from playing at Michigan to winning Super Bowl LI. It is about performing his best while filtering out the noise when all the critics believed that he had no talent for the level of the NFL or he cheated his way to success. The lesson is to not allow others to determine your mindset and let go of the past to focus on performing your best right now. Tom Brady does not live a life according to critics.
What is holding you back from achieving your goals? Is it some poisonous words from your childhood or assumptions you have made? You must create a mindset of winning, filtering out the noise and criticism and dedicating every moment to performing your best.
The Four Agreements from Don Miguel Ruiz:
- Be Impeccable With Your Word. Words are powerful and can harm others if we are not careful. The words we choose everyday should not be focused on creating fear and spreading gossip, which can destroy. Carefully chosen words of support and kindness can create influential and positive relationships.
- Don’t Take Anything Personally. Mr. Ruiz states that when people say things negatively, it is not about their target, but it is really about themselves. Filter out the criticism and this will make you strong and focused. Don’t be afraid of what others may think. I have found that negative thoughts we allow in our minds grow and convince us that we are not worthy. Most of the time, issues we create in our head are really only in our head. Often, when we think others are forming opinions about us, it is really not happening. Don’t create false ideas in your own mind that can stop you from achieving your goals.
- Don’t Make Assumptions. It’s easy to misinterpret what others are saying. Unfounded assumptions can easily derail your own progress and goal achievement. Ask questions to clarify before making assumptions about an issue.
- Always Do Your Best. No matter the situation, give your best effort, whether you are fully rested or are very tired at the end of a long day. Don’t allow what happened in the past to prohibit how you will perform now.
We all have doubts at some point and sometimes it may be difficult to filter out criticism or even believe we are not good enough. But you have to overcome these obstacles and set your own course. Achieve your dreams without listening to others who offer no value. Start each day with the understanding that you will perform your best, no matter the circumstances.
How can you apply these Four Agreements in your own personal, professional and business life?
Tom Brady won Super Bowl LI after dealing with two years of accusations of deflate-gate.
“Imagine living your life without the fear of being judged by others. You no longer rule your behavior according to what others may think about you. You are no longer responsible for anyone’s opinion. You have no need to control anyone, no one controls you either.” – Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements
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Copyright 2017 – Stephen McLain
