During February a wonderful group of folks has gathered to talk about the book The Four Agreements. This book invites us to look at our beliefs about life to see how they either support our happiness or undermine it. Our basic beliefs are "agreements" we've made based on the way our families, schools, friends, and society have told us life is.

My agreements include "I am not an athlete" and "one can't own too many books." Each of us has thousands of these agreements which govern our automatic responses to life situations. If we have a fender bender we might respond from our "I have rotten luck" agreement, or from one which says, "accidents happen and they are no big deal." Clearly, the way we handle this situation will differ depending on the agreements which are operating.

The more aware we are of the agreements influencing us, the more control we have over our life choices. We can always choose to be happy, no matter what the situation. That choice becomes easier when we make new agreements that support happiness.

One of my new agreements is to blog more regularly, so watch for blog posts soon about the "four" agreements author Don Miguel Ruiz suggests will promote happiness for us all.