Be Impeccable with your word is the first agreement in the book "The Four Agreements," by Don Miguel Ruiz. He goes on to say that, "Through the word you express your creative power. It is through the word that you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests though the word. What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will be manifested through the word. Your word is pure magic, and misuse of your word is black magic."
He goes on to say that, "Impeccability means without sin. A sin is anything you that you do which goes against yourself. When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions..."
"Black magic?" I couldn't get what he meant by that statement. I had never been exposed to such language and couldn't get my mind wrapped around it. But I did get that a "sin is anything you do which goes against yourself."
But where does it go? Memory? Can you ever get rid of it?
In my reading of the books in my library that I am culling (Alan is convinced that the books are breeding and multiplying faster than I am reading them), I picked up Charles F. Haanel's book and a workbook called, "The Master Key Workbook" by Anthony R. Michalaski and Robert Schmitz. They quote Haanel as saying, "If you do not intend to do a thing, do not start. If you do start a thing, see it through even if the heavens fall; if you make up your mind to do something, do it; let nothing or no one interfere. Every time we set ourselves to do something and we accomplish it, no matter how great or small, we are depositing currency in our spiritual checkbook. When we fail to accomplish something, we are withdrawing currency. If we withdraw too much, then we bankrupt ourselves. It is it vitally important to see thorough what we intend to do."
That is where it goes.
In thinking back in my life, during the times that I was doing something new and different, even if it didn't turn out the way I wanted it, the fact that I finished it and went on to something else, provided the energy needed to get through the project and on to the next one. Each success built on the next one. The "sin," if there is one, is that it depletes the energy needed to carry on with your life. When too depleted, it is almost impossible to get it turned around and back on track.
I remember after my former husband passed away, I was in such a funk that nothing seemed to work. I had taken a class on "How to Become a Better Knitter" about a year before he died. I knit though all of the emergency room visits, hospital stays and I knit while sobbing by heart out and I knit when I couldn't sleep past the midnight hour. Knitting kept me sane. I finished the sweater I was working on and hated it. Probably because of all the memories I knit into it and I gave it to the Goodwill.
Several months later, my sister asked me about the sweater and I told her that I had given it to the Goodwill and she smiled and said, "I have done a lot of sewing for them too."
Keeping your word and your agreements are most important to yourself. The really sad part about it is that most people can see though you even if your words are different. I have learned that in order to feel really good about myself, I keep my word. If I can't, I will call and renegotiate the agreement or renegotiate my intention with myself. My self-esteem is on the line and I need to feel really good about myself from this point forward because it keeps my life simple, fun and easy.