Help Me to Change the World
by don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz with Janet Mills

Excerpted and adapted from The Fifth Agreement

I invite you to participate in a new dream for humanity, one in which all of us can live in harmony, truth, and love. In this dream, people of all religions and all philosophies are not just welcome, but respected. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in Christ, Moses, Allah, Brahma, Buddha, or any other being or master; everybody is welcome to share this dream. Each one of us has our own beliefs, our own point of view. There are billions of different points of view, but it’s the same light, the same force of life behind each one of us.

If you feel the truth in these words, then I invite you to open your heart and help me to change the world. Of course, the very first question is: How are you going to change the world? The answer is easy. By changing your world. When I ask you to help me to change the world, I’m not talking about planet Earth. I’m referring to the world that exists in your head. You will not change the world if you don’t change your own world first. The change begins with you. You will change the world by loving yourself, by enjoying life, by making your personal world a dream of heaven. And I ask you for your help because you are the only one who can make this change.

If you decide that you want to help me change the world, the easiest way is by practicing five agreements: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best. Be skeptical, but learn to listen. These are the tools to change your world, to change the world, and they are nothing but pure common sense. If you practice these five agreements, if you make them your way of life, there won’t be any more war in your head. There won’t be any more war with your loved ones. There will be peace.

You deliver a message every time you speak. The question is: do you deliver the truth, or do you deliver lies? When the message you deliver comes from truth and love, you are happier. And just by being happier, everyone benefits because your joy, your happiness, your heaven are contagious. When you are happy, the people around you are happy too, and it inspires them to change their own world.

We represent a whole legacy, and when I say “we,” I’m speaking for all humans. Our legacy is love; it’s joy; it’s happiness. Let’s enjoy this world. Let’s enjoy one another. We are meant to love one another, not to hate one another. Let’s stop believing that our differences make us superior or inferior to one another. Let’s not believe that lie. Let’s not be afraid that our different colors make us different people. Who cares? It’s just another lie. We don’t have to believe all the lies and superstitions that control our lives. We can return to the truth, and be messengers of truth. We can change our whole way of thinking, and have a wonderful love affair with life. It’s incredible what we can do if we really want to do it. All we need is to be aware of what we are doing, and to return to the authenticity we were born with.

Help me to change the world is an invitation to be authentic, to follow your heart, to be free of superstitions and lies. And I’m not asking you to try to change the world. Don’t try; just do it. Take the action today. By adopting the Five Agreements, you will create peace in your head, in your own world, and thereby help to create peace in the entire world.

THE FIVE 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-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

BE SKEPTICAL, BUT LEARN TO LISTEN
Don’t believe yourself or anybody else. Use the power of doubt to question everything you hear: Is it really the truth? Listen to the intent behind the words, and you will understand the real message.

© Miguel Angel Ruiz, M.D., Jose Luis Ruiz, and Janet Mills. Reprinted by Permission of Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc., San Rafael, California.

For nearly three decades, don Miguel Ruiz has shared his unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern-day awareness through lectures, workshops, and journeys to sacred sites around the world. Sales of his books have soared to more than seven million copies in the United States alone, and have been translated into more than 30 languages worldwide. www.miguelruiz.com

In the tradition of his ancestors, don Jose Ruiz has dedicated his life to sharing the teachings of the ancient Toltec. For the past seven years, he has been lecturing and leading classes across the United States, and at sacred sites around the world.